Chemical Oubliette
by Toyloli
Summary: Traped, alone in an empty city at the bottom of a black hole, mortal enemies The Rowdyruff Boys and the Powerpuff girls are forced to work together under the eyes of an unseen force. It's fight or die, and by the times it's over much will be lost.
1. Forward

Foreword by Toyloli:  
As such this story is not intended to be an erotica. There will be romance. Violence. Action. Even gore and occasional bad language but it will NOT be a sex scene of every page.

Nevertheless I beg of you to PLEASE READ FURTHER!

Now. As for what this story is about; As an avid Powerpuff girl fan I have read many fictions involving the Rowdyruffs. One recurring theme in most of them is having the Ruffs feel guilty and beg forgiveness from the puffs. And for some strange reason nearly every rowdyruff story I read has the history of the ruffs re-written a little so that this is possible. The most common being to have them die and come back to life repentant.

I am not going to do that. The ruffs here will not be dead at any point. For the majority of the story they will be bad guys. This story instead is set just prior to the events of the battle of the rose (Final episode: seeme feelme gnome!) and is designed to solve the question to several plot holes in the episode.  
These plot holes are thus:

1. in the opening lines to the episode the villains are observing that the powerpuff girls are absent and have been so for some time. At least a week or two.  
2. When the puffs do turn up they apear weakened and are easily overpowered?  
3. When the Red Gnome apears he takes the remainder of the girls powers and then summons higher beings to place all evil beings in townsville in limbo... Yet the Rowdyruff boys are not amongst them.

This last fact draws the most attention as at no point during the series are the Ruffs either destroyed or converted.

This is that story. 


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

A Plan and a Fight

The city of townsville.  
A peaceful city kept blissfully quiet by its ever vigilant protectors - The power puff girls. Overrun with villains - it is a city that forever stands on a knife's edge and is constantly thrown into turmoil by its many arduous villains. The gang green gang, Princess Morbuks, Him, Mojo Jojo and more recently the reborn Rowdy Ruff boys.  
Thankfully in recent months the slew of regular attacks from monster islands had been decreasing. This is in response the rowdyruff boy's presence as (on more than one occasion) the boys have taken it upon themselves to beat up the monsters. Something they do not for the benefit of Townsville but for the simple challenge of having something bigger to beat the living crap out of.  
In fact an unlucky balance has been struck between the girls and boys of late as sometimes the girls find it more beneficial to let the boys have their fun and sometimes the girls HAVE to interfere to prevent the boys hurting innocent people during their brawls.  
This is one of those occasions and as the city streets begin to dissolve into a three way battle between ruffs, puffs and a giant fire breathing squid we inconveniently cut away to the secret hideout of one Simian mastermind in his all soo secret volcano-top observatory.

"I am getting very sick of watching those boys, who were my creation even if they were taken, absconded and converted by him, being beaten, bashed, shown up and further humiliated time and time again by those accursed powerpuff girls." Mojo clicked his tongue as he watched the current battle through the window. The squid had just bit the dust when Buttercup and Butch had each grabbed a tentacle and attempted to use the squid as a blunt object. Its head had landed on a spike atop one of the many skyscrapers then caught and tore spewing a burning oil like substance over the streets. The Ruffs of course were now doubled up with laughter watching the spectacle as the girls tried to put out the fires.  
Mojo turned away in disgust and faced his latest and greatest creation. At the centre of it was what appeared to be another high powered laser. Pointing up to the roof it was aimed into the mighty lens construct that connected to his observatory telescope. It was a mighty device that, while not yet finished, seamed to have been developed from an electron microscope.  
"Time and time and over again I have been thwarted by those little brats of justice, the powerpuff girls!" Mojo rambled to himself as he starting looking through draws of tools. "Each time I am believing I have killed them they have foiled me by not being dead. It is as though they absorb strength from somewhere. Their powers are so great that they can heal after almost any injury given enough time in which to do that healing"  
Closing the draw he heads over to a large box marked 'stolen equipment' and begins to dismantle a device that looks similar to a toaster.  
"But this, my latest plan shall change all that. The rowdyruff boys, who were created to for the destruction of the powerpuff girls, shall be again used to destroy them. But this time the girls will not be able to get away!" He begins laughing then takes the repaired toaster over to the wall, plugs it in and puts in two slices of toast and continues his rant. "By placing the powerpuff girls in a device that will make them weak and keep them under my control I will provide the perfect opportunity for those idiotic boys to do that which they were originally created! DESTROYING THE POWERPUFF GIRLS!!!"

"MWA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!" Mojo looks at the toast as it suddenly pops out from the toaster. "Aww, it's burnt!"

Page 2

- Accross town -

"Hey Toots! Nice bucket, have a spade!" Buttercup turned around - toting the large water tank she had just poured over the fires. Blossom was currently moving around the street with Bubbles trying to put out spot fires but the instant the gardening emporium sight hit Buttercup they were at her side.  
While Blossom checked on her sister, bubbles furiously hefted the water tank and threw it at the boys - skittling Butch, who had been too slow to stop laughing.  
"You arrogant little Pigs!" She screeched as she streamed after it immediately swerving for the blond haired boy on the right. As Buttercup and blossom came in for their attack the two boys split up being chased in opposite directions. Blossom pealed the now beat up water tank from the side of the building and looked at the hole Butch had made in the wall.  
"You okay in there?" She asked looking at the boy inside. Shocked civilians stared at the two as Butch got to his feet. "Yeah, thanks red." Butch replied as he crawled forward, grabbed a nearby desk and through it at Blossom. She dodged and the pair flew off again as Butch chased Blossom through the skies firing madly with his heat vision.

"Blossom, coming your way!" Blossom recognised Bubbles voice even if it was only faint and banked towards it. The pair crossed paths and in a dramatic display of firepower Butch and Boomer successfully shot each other out of the sky - crashing into a pair of skyscrapers.  
Blossom and Bubbles stopped and laughed at the boys, "Gee, if you guys even tried to THINK of a plan you might actually be a threat someday"  
"Yeah, Talk about stoopid!" Bubbles continued - pulling a face at the darkhaired boy. Like the powerpuff girls however the boys healed fast and were already getting up.  
"You sissy girls are never goin to defeat us like that!" Butch baited them, then remembered that kind of phrase only worked on his brunette counterpart. He looked around trying to find their pain in the ass brother. On the other side of the street Bubbles was trying to help Boomer get up.  
"Stupid Girl. I'm trying to kill you"  
"Well you're not doing a very good Job"  
"Lemme go, why you little! Hey is that a Kitty Hawk over there?" Bubbles turned and looked at the object the boy had pointed out.  
"um what?" She replied, genuinely confused.

"AAAARG" In the distance two streaks of light were approaching at hight speed. They were currently twirling around each other in a haphazard flight path and as they approached it was becoming apparent that there were actually TWO figures at the centre. One trailing a bright green light and the other a faint blood red streak. Both figures were punching each other ferociously.  
"Yeah, Go Brick Go go go!" Butch called out punching the air from his position inside the building.  
"Go Buttercup Go Buttercup!" Bubbles began calling out - her voice immediately drowning out the boys because of her special powers. Boomer floated up into the air away from the blond girl and clutched his head trying to block out the noise. He and Blossom floated in the air, each thinking their own private thoughts.  
How on earth can that girl be sooo loud! Maybe if I can create a distraction.. I know, it's bludgeon time! Uncovering her ears none of the boys realised what was happening till it was too late. Grabbing the back of Boomers shirt Blossom swung him around like a shot-put and screamed out a loud "HEADS UP" to buttercup. The blond boy went flying and buttercup, knowing her sister well enough, broke off her attack just as the boy went slamming into his red head brother.  
Butches cap came of and the boys went plummeting into a third building, rounding of the city's damage toll to an even figure for the day.

Butch moved fast, rushing to his brothers' aid with the girls following close behind.  
"Boomer! Brick. You guys okay?" He called out as he dug through the rubble.  
"Course we're okay numnut!" Came the curt reply as Brick pushed up a piece of fallen brickwork and staggered to get to his feet. "I'm not a sissy girl like you"  
Butch breathed a sigh and growled. "I'm gonna kill that Blossom"  
Brick slapped him. Even though it hurt it was a week slap and Butch ignored it like he always did - helping his brothers into the air.  
"Had enough Boys?" Extracted from the building they had landed in the boys faced the girls - barely six feet away from each other. "Weeelll?" Bubbles asked, backing their leader.  
"I don't think we should fight anymore today!" Boomer muttered, earning himself a slap. But Brick genuinely thought about it for a while.  
"Yeah, I guess your right. Back to the hide..."

Unknown to the super powered battlers Mojo Jojo had just pulled a lever inside his mountain top observatory.  
"YES! IT IS WORKING"  
The words echoed across the city interrupting the conversation between the Puffs and the Ruffs. Both ground turned to face Mojo's hideout and Blossom and Brick both voiced the same words at once. "What the hell is that stupid monkey up to now"  
That's when the ray of light hit all six children. And all six of them lost consciousness.


	3. Chapter 1 page 2

Chapter 2

Old Town New Town

PAGE 1

When Bubbles awoke she was alone.

Not only were the other girls nowhere to be found but the streets themselves were empty. Devoid of all people, cars and noise. Looking around her from her position on the ground her chin began to wabble in fear. Not even the ever-present background noises of the city were audible. For that matter not even the noise of the wind, or insects.

Sitting alone in the middle of the Street Bubbles began crying. Not loud screams or moans of fear but silent dry sobs that wracked her body.

"Everyone must have thought I died." she told herself quietly amongst her sobs. "They've gone and left me. But why is the city abandoned?" Still crying Bubbles got to her feet and flew to the side of the road, looking around for signs of damage. Loose pieces of rubbish sat in bins and along the sidewalk, and Bubbles observed that it was mostly scraps of food and clumps of dirt. Her stomach rumbled telling her she hadn't eaten in a while and, tears forgotten, she began wondering the street looking for something to eat. If she was lucky there would be a restraint or cafe nearby and even should there be nobody inside they might still have food.

"It's strange that there isn't even any animals in the city right now." She observed silently and then registered her own words. Squeezing her eyes shut in concentration Bubbles listened. This was her gift; the ability to talk and understand ANY language from any creature big enough to make sound. This special ability even extended to letting her hear further and scream louder than either of her sisters and was her calling card. She could even do something her sisters couldn't and talk or call out at supersonic frequencies - although ironically enough she wasn't able to hear them.

The city was not totally empty. Straining her ears through the silence of the city she could hear the buzz of large wings, and thumps and thuds coming from amongst the buildings. Sounds of creatures, none of them intelligent enough to communicate but all of them busily working on destroying and eating. It was a bleak prospect. Alone in a city overrun with monsters, not even monsters like those on Monster Isle who actually had brains and chose to attack because they thought it was fun. They were monsters with no brains. Freakish creatures whose only instincts were to eat.

A guttural squeal reached her ears followed by the sound of bones being crunched and Bubbles screamed, covering her ears and sobbing uncontrollably. Even though she couldn't hear it now her mind still played back the sound. The horrible sound of a monster eating another monster. This world was a bleak one and Bubbles wanted out.

With a loud scream she threw herself into the air with intentions to head towards home, but was brought up short. There in the sky were countless flying monsters. Worse, they looked like giant insects; all busy working on the masonry and plaster that made up the cities skyline. Looking down she saw more such creatures - gross and disgusting and roaming the streets, praying on buildings and on each other.

"If I can get to the suburbs?" She thought out loud, only to see five large insects launch themselves in her direction. They didn't fly fast, but each one was at least three times her size and she was outnumbered and without a plan.

She flew back into the street with a surprised "EEEK" and into one of the buildings, the window cracking and collapsing as she flew through it. The glass left light cuts in her skin but she didn't notice them as she cowered inside the building.

"Bloss sob om, Butt sob ecup... Why?" she begged as she rocked back and forth. "What sob Happened sobb Here... and she broke down into a volley of tears.


	4. Chapter 1 page 3

PAGE 2

Some blocks away from Bubbbles, Butch had just woken up. Like Bubbbles he was also alone when he awoke but unlike her he didn't panic. Looking around himself warily he took in the empty streets and the minor damage to the buildings and thought nothing of it. Clearly something had happened and since the light that knocked him and his brothers out cold had come from Mojo's; that meant the Monkey was probably responsible.

He also wasn't surprised at being left alone. His brother thought the concept of family was a sissy idea and wouldn't hesitate at leaving Boomer and him to fend for themselves simply trusting that they'd all meet up again at a later date. It was a cruel way to behave but Butch accepted it because it worked.

Not even attempting to hide from danger, Butch floated into the air and tried to get his bearings. He was near the Chinatown district and could see the part from where he was if he floated high enough. He could also see a bunch of giant insects nibbling on the buildings. His stomach rumbled.

"I wonder if any of those critters taste good barbecued." HE asked nobody in particular, then experimentally hit one with his heat vision. Slightly crispy but still alive, the creature fell to the ground and tried to crawl away.

"Hey wait up. You're my lunch, bug!" Boomer called out after it. Landing on the ground again, Butch chased it to a building but lost sight of it. He then turned around and noticed a handful of other creatures gathering around him, all at least three times his size and visibly hungry.

"Knowing my luck," he though, "they could eat me just as likely as I could eat them. Fight or fly?" He muttered for a moment and one of the creature's leapt at him.

"Ok, you win.. We fight!"

It was going to be a short battle. The creatures were strong and Butch's heat vision had little effect but there were only a handful and Butch was even stronger. His grunt and yells echoed in the empty streets each time he punched or grabbed one of the creatures. He'd already driven two off who had lost the will to fight when he punched holed in one of them and slammed a second against the wall of a building. He didn't really need help but when he saw a streak of blue light rocketing towards him he couldn't help but grin.

The light collided with one insect and catapulted it into a second, driving the last of the creatures away.

"Good one Boomer I guess your not as..." Butch hesitated taking in the blue dress and Bubbles turned around taking in the person she'd just saved.

"YOU!" they both screamed at one!

"I though I was rescuing Buttercup!" Bubbles screeched.

"And I though it was that sissy Boomer!" Butch replied back, "Not a baby puff puff!" Butch made a face at her that resembled an infant crying, and got a letterbox thrown in his face!"

"Well I wasn't expecting a block of concrete, but you're about as thick as one!"

"That's it! It's on now!"

"Yeah!" Boomer couldn't even be seen accelerating. One minute he was standing still and the next he was in Bubbles face. She dodged effortlessly to one side and tripped him, causing him to skid along the ground for about 6 metres.

"Why you?" He grumbled, getting to his feet. Looking near the track of ground he'd just tore up he noticed and dismembered a light pole and went in swinging. Bubbles successfully dodged the first swing before being caught by a punch and boosted backwards into the sky.

"OW!" She cried out when she hit something, then screamed as a set of arms wrapped themselves around her. "DAMN YOU BUTCH, SAVE ME SO WE CAN FIGHT PROPERLY!"

Butch laughed maniacly, taking in the site as a large locus began carrying Bubbles away.

"OH ALRIGHT!" He conceded and threw the lamp post at the insect – hitting it square on and felling both it and Bubbles out of the sky.

With no particular rush he trotted over to where the pair had landed and grudgingly assisted her in untangling herself from the creature.

The creature was stunned and twitching slightly from the impact. Bubbles made a face and both children blasted the monster with their laser visions. Moments later it was nothing but roasted meat.

"Something to EAT!" Butch crowed as he began ripping into the creature, "Finally!"

Bubbles looked at brick as he he pulled of one of its legs and made a face. "Ewe! You're actually going to EAT that?"

"Uh, yeah... There's nothing else here to eat is there!" Butch took a bite of his leg and made a face himself before spitting the meat out again. "okay. Maybe not."

Standing there facing Bubbles, she watched his face screw up in concentration as he tried to think of what to do next. Then his face lit up and he punched the air excitedly.

"Oh yeah! I was going to kill you now wasn't I?" he asked.

Both childrens' stomachs growled at them and they rubbed their bellies in unison.

"Can do that after we eat?" Bubbles chirped, grinning at Butch.

"Yeah. Okay. First food, then fighting!"

"Agreed"


	5. Chapter 1 Page 4

[center[bPage 3[/b[/center

The pair walked quietly. It wasn't that together they weren't a match for the occasional insect that popped up, so much as they were still trying to figure out where they stood with each other.

Bubbles was in the rear, walking directly behind Butch. Every couple of minutes she'd slowly lean to the left or the right to peer at the younger boys face. When she did Butch watch her out the corner of his eyes and then look forwards again when she ducked back behind him. "Why do you keep doing that?" He asked eventually.

"Because I can't believe how different you are from Buttercup!"

Butch blinked. "Well yeah, I'm a boy! She's a Girl. Of course we're different!"

"Yeah, but most times when we face off it's always you verses Buttercup. And you both kinda fight the same way. I guess I always thought you'd act the same."

"How does she act?"

Bubbles thought for a moment, eyeing the trash cans by the side of the road. The two of them had looked in 5 buildings so far and every one of them had been empty. Not just empty as in nobody there either, there wasn't even any furniture and the only rubbish appeared to be those in the streets and the bins lining them.

"Well, she's Bossy, and she doesn't listen to anybody and she likes fighting above everything else. I sometimes think that she likes fighting more than anything else."

Reaching another door Butch kicked it sending it flying off its hinges. "This is getting annoying!" He observed as they found yet another empty house.

"I like fighting. There's nothing like the rush of battle." Butch chuckled. "Actually, I'm well aware I can get a little silly when I'm fighting.. I just love the rush involved."

"Do you ever pick on Boomer by chance? Buttercup picks on me all the time!"

"Nah" Butch turned around - sizing up the blond girl and looking at her for the first time. "That's more like the way Brick Behaves. I mean yeah I tease Boomer but Brick picks on both of us. He sets the standards for nastiness in our group and we'd be lost without him."

Bubbles blinked. "Hang on. You want him back even though he picks on you?"

"Course I do. He's family!"

"Butch" Bubbles said quietly, "You are a complete idiot!"

This time it was Butches turn to blink. "Hey! You just said yourself that Buttercup is just as nasty as Brick!"

"Well Yeah! But we don't follow her!" Without thinking Bubbles slapped the boy across the face. "You need some sense knocked into you! You just stood there and told me you're follow a Jerk because he IS a jerk"

"Why you!" Boomer turned back from the slap and delivered his own with six times the force Bubbles had used - knocking her into the wall then diving in to begin pummelling her. The two lay there of the ground rolling around and grapling with each other, neither one managing to get an advantage. Bubbles may not have been as strong but she was a determined fighter and as they fought she sat there glowering at him and steamed in frustration.

"If you had any intelligence YOU should be leading them. YOU at least care about them!" Bubbles screeched as she managed to get atop the boy. She straddled him and began pummelling him only to have Butch start laughing. Silently he evaluated the girl's punches and was surprised that while still week - they were marginally stronger than those of his blond brother.

"I agree with bubbles." Both kids stopped fighting as the new voice echoed through the street. At first Brick's concern was that the volume would attract the insects; then he recognised the voice and Bubbles climbed off the boy.

"Brick sounds like he should step down and let a real leader take charge!" Blossom continued - standing on a section of building about two stories up, "But it should be somebody with some brains, not brawns!"

A blurr of light later and the red-head was on the ground, rolling around on the floor as an over-the-top bubbles screamed and giggled with joy.

"Blossom Blossom Blossom! Blossom Blossom Blossom!" She chanted and the pair rolled and Blossom giggled,

"I missed you too!"

The pair cried and laughed over and over again before Bubbles calmed down. Butch watched the pair of them completely dumbfounded.

"Stupid sissy girls" He mumbled and planted hs hands in his pockets. "I hope none of them thinks their allowed to hug me.

Climbing off Blossom - Bubbles laughed and the two knelt facing each other and holding hands.

"I thought you were gone!" Bubbles exclaimed, "I thought you'd left me behind. I thought you'd bitten the dust. Or at least blown away with it. I thought... I thought something bad had taken you, like George Washington or the Boogedy man! I thought,"

"Did you bring any food per chance?" Both girls stopped at the boys interruption and Blossom addressed the boy. "The only food I've seen are the scraps in the bins!" She told him before catching up with her sisters speil.

"Why would George Washington have kidnapped me..." She asked her brows farrowing in confusion. Then she noticed her sisters beaming smile and hugged her. "I'm glad you're none the worse Bubbs. Now let's get out of the street and I'll tell you what I found.


	6. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 - Red Town Blue Town

Buttercup walked the streets alone. She'd been doing this for some time and had yet to meet a single soul. Originally she had woken up near the mayor's office on the north side of the city and had intentionally been meandering her way towards the Volcano-top Mountain that made up the heart of the city. At first she had tried to fly, but it resulted in the death of 8 insects, including an awesome grasshopper that had skittled her out of the sky and in through the window of a building.  
The glass had cut her, and that worried her. Clearly she was weaker than she felt as she and her sisters usually healed fast enough for normal cuts and bruises to have no effect. This worried her and while a large part of her wanted to just barrel through the hoards of monsters and beat Mojo to a pulp she couldn't take the chance that she'd bee too badly hurt before the main battle.  
"Be not rash and violent grasshopper." She muttered to herself with a harrumph. "Bah... That grasshopper that hit me was violent enough"  
As she walked Buttercup eyed the buildings. The ground was less dangerous than the air but it had still been some time since she had encountered one of the bug monsters. "That probably meant more danger." She mumbled again, "Like say, that shadow by that building"  
Buttercup blinked and the next thing anybody knew she and Boomer were flying through the air exchanging punches.

Brick flew up behind them at high velocity - unhindered as he was not in the process of fighting anybody. "Hey! That was a perfectly good ambush! It's all your fault Boomer"  
Brick's laser vision hit Buttercup full force and she dropped like a fly barely managing to get upright before hitting the ground.  
Looking up she sized up her enemies and cursed. "Damnit. Stop protecting that damn Monkey and Back off!" The boys regrouped and dropped on her so that she barely had time to dodge.  
"Okay!" She retorted, "Let's try you an Atomic Twister"  
Both boys were caught off guard when Buttercup rushed Brick only to purposely miss and throw herself to the ground. Spinning fast on her back; the green blur that usually accompanied her in flight suddenly surrounded her completely, and both boys backed off of feeling the combination of high winds and electricity building in the air.  
"Oh-Kay!" Brick commented watching Buttercup wind up. At that point everybody heard the clattering of spindly legs and the boys were suddenly less interested in Buttercups trick than they were in the army of approaching ants.

"I wish I knew why these things kept coming after us"  
"I tried to tell... Ow" Brick slapped Boomer for the umpteenth time that day telling him to "shuddup" while the red-head tried to think.  
"Oh give me a break!" Looking back towards Buttercup, she had fully would up the attack now. A small twister about 12 feet high stood behind them in the alley, randomly shooting bolts of lightning at the buildings around it. Both boys' jaws dropped in awe.  
"COOOL!" They yelled in unison and backed off allowing her through. The army of Giant bugs was quiet literally an army. In the streets were about two dozen ants that were converging on their position but they were also attracting a number of large Beatles and other insects. Having seen how Buttercup had performed the trick and seeing the damage it was doing to the bugs on the ground, Brick was now on his back trying to imitate her and Boomer was using his eyebeams to shoot out what few targets were coming in from the sky. He looked down at the sound of giggling below and observed two twisters, each with a ball of coloured lightning, bouncing back and forth off buildings and occasionally each other as though playing some insane game of pool.  
Boomer laughed and flew after them as they began making their way down the street wiping out anything that got in their paths. This had to be the most effective plan the boys had come up with so far. They might even make it to Fuzzy's cabin if they were lucky.

Several blocks down the road, with the attacking bugs having retreated for the time being, Buttercup and Brick stopped their attack having learnt its single flaw. Both the Puff and Ruff were now staggering around from dizziness laughing and gesturing in each others direction as they made a variety of guttural noises that only each other seamed to understand. Stopping mid flight Boomer opened a large bin near what resembled a restaurant. There were some scraps still salvageable and with Brick's freeze powers they'd be able to make the food last that little bit longer. He turned to see the pair on the ground, leaning against each other back to back and gave a rueful smile.  
"That was awesome you two!" He crowed at them. "You really showed them stoopid bugs!" A thought crossed Boomers mind and he tried and failed at snapping his fingers. After a few attempts he gave up and just beamed at the pair. "If I head back I might even collect a few of them for my bug collection"  
"If I wasn't so giddy I'd smack ya!" Buttercup muttered, only to be slapped herself by the red ruff behind her. Skidding to a stop several feet away she clambered to her feet preparing for another fight.  
"Come on..." She yelled at Brick. "Gimme a break. Two seconds ago we're working together and now you wanna fight again! At least have a break man"  
Brick looked at Buttercup then, still staggering, got to his feat and approached his brother.  
"Understand this Girly. If we is gonna work together to get out of this town, then I'm in charge!" and with that he grabbed Boomer by the arm and tossed the blond haired boy over his hip. He landed atop Buttercup with a thud and the pair hit the ground in a tangle of arms and legs. "Why You!" Buttercup complained as she tried to get up. Boomer held her down and shook his head.  
"What I say goes!" Brick continued, "You dont like that and you'll feel my fists"  
"Yes Brick." Boomer muttered from the ground.  
"Yeah, right." Buttercup replied, rolling her eyes.  
"This wont be any fun."

"Alright then, illustrious leader!" With an almighty shove Buttercup pried herself out from under Boomer. For a second she hesitated on feeling something hand-shaped on her ass but it removed itself promptly and Buttercup satisfied herself with giving Boomer a filthy look. He returned it with a confused one and Buttercup tied to remember what she was saying.  
"Oh right!" She continued, "If you have some plan to get us out of here then divulge it"  
The look on Bricks face was murderous and Buttercup barely dodged Bricks punch. It hit Boomer instead making him double up in pain.  
"Ow" he complained. Buttercup watched the exchange confused.  
"Get one thing straight girl. I wont put up with you makin up words either just to make me look dumb. I get enough of that from baybee here!" and with that the boy turned to face the center of town.  
Buttercup tried to see if Boomer needed help as Brick began explaining his plan but was shoed away with a half-hearted slap.  
"Clearly Mojo's beam sent us to this hell hole!" Brick explained boldly, "and whether it's the future or another dimension the best option is to beat the heck out of that monkey until he sends us back"  
"That's your plan!" Brick turned back to the riled puff.  
"What about your brother. Butch? What about my sisters? We have to find them first before we try and get back"  
Brick gave buttercup a sceptical look. "You think Butch is stoopid or something. Baybe here may need looking after but Butch'll know to head to Mojo's and we can meet him there. As for ya sisters?" Brick flipped the infuriated puff off. "I spose if we find them we can take em back. But why would I honestly WANT to find them!"

Buttercup's fury reached the speed of light in about 6 seconds. The next thing anybody knew a skyscraper was collapsing behind the Green puff and both boys suddenly felt very nervous.  
Boomer sidled over to his brother cautiously as they watched Buttercup tug and her hair and begin taking several deep breaths.  
"Did you even see her move?" The blond boy asked his brother quietly.  
"Na ah." He replied - eyes wide. "Maybe it was her scream or something"  
Both boys looked at each other and shook their heads.  
"Come on Green thing!" Brick called out and they moved out. Floating several feet above the ground, the Ruffs were leading the way the fuming Puff taking up the behind in supposed lookout duty. Every so often Boomer looked back at her, worry rimming his face about what exactly they'd just let into their group but Buttercup was preoccupied with something else. In her anger she didn't notice him, instead straining her ears to the edge of their range for any sound of her sisters.  
"I have to find them!" She muttered, angry at herself more than anything else. Boomer floated back to her side seemingly appearing beside her. Caught off guard, Buttercup thought out a punch at whatever had suddenly invaded her space only to have the blond ruff block it.  
"You're worried about your sisters aren't you." Boomer asked cautiously, trying not to earn another punch. "The blond one, Bubbles is it? She's kinda cute"  
Buttercup stopped floating and collapsed to the ground in shock, then quickly got up again and floated after the ruffs.  
"I mean," Boomer continued, "From what I've heard she sounds like a complete dork but Butch and Brick told me she ate a bug when she was pretending to be me"  
"Yeah she did!" Buttercup replied, trying to see where this was leading.  
"I wouldn't have the guts to actually eat one," He continued, "but I've been collecting a whole bunch of them and it'd be cool if she could tell me what they tasted like."

Buttercup collapsed to the ground a second time and again rose to float after the boy in a totally dumbfounded state at the direction of that conversation. "You are soo immature." She eventually sighed, before asking the boy: "Is that all you can think of"  
"No!" came an overly simple reply.  
Buttercup looked at the boy again. He was eyeing the skyscrapers and smiling broadly. The expression on his face was completely blank and innocent but his eyes were working overtime looking for danger. Looking ahead at his red brother he was barrelling onwards - eyes on the streets as they made several more turns.  
Cogs started turning in Buttercups head and a question formed on her lips. "What do you think our plan of action should be?" She asked the boy next to her.  
Boomer hummed as though he wasn't listening then started talking to the air.  
"Bugs are attracted to sound." he said, "Vibrations in the air allow them to tell who's food and who's dangerous. While we're moving like this they won't attack but once we're in the open, or if we make a lot of commotion, then they'll see us"  
Buttercup blinked. She blinked again realizing that they blond boy was probably right.  
"You know a lot about insects don't cha?" she asked. The boy started floating away from her and Buttercups fighting senses went on red alert.

Turning a corner Boomer and Buttercup caught up with Brick just in time to see the Giant tarantula half a block away and about to go down an alley.  
"Alright!" Brick called out and began accelerating towards the beast. Buttercup intercepted and pulled the boy to the ground.  
"Help me hold him!" She called to Boomer. Down the road the Spider started backing out of the alley and looking around for the noise. Buttercup clamped a hand over the red boy's mouth and let out an "ewe" sound when the ruff licked it to try and make her let go.  
Timid, but determined Boomer helped Buttercup hold the boy down and Buttercup explained what Boomer had said earlier, generously passing it off as her information to spare the blond boy from a slap. She then explained her own plan.  
"So listen. When we get to the volcano we will have to get through a park. ALL the bugs will see us then and we're going to need weapons. Possibly armour because in case you haven't noticed NONE of us are healing properly"  
Both boys blinked and took stock of their current form. The tarantula lost interest and crawled away.  
Buttercup released the boy's mouth, resisting the urge to wipe her hand on her dress.  
"Okay." Brick announced grudgingly. "I may, only may I add, have noticed that I'm sore in places and that I have some cuts that aren't healing. So speek up"  
"I don't know why we're not healing?" Buttercup said, silently looking at Boomer and asking him to think it over, "But it means we can't just barrel in. Some of these insects are poisonous. But some have great weapons and good armour on them"  
Boomer nodded his reply. a list grew in his mind of good insects to cannibalise parts from and he would tell Buttercup about them later.  
"For now, Lets see about having something to eat..." Buttercup looked at boomer as the boy emptied his pockets. She scrunched her face up in disgust.

"I'm guessing they're from the rubbish bins?" She enquired. Boomer nodded and Brick took a mangy looking sandwich and began eating.  
"I guess when you have nothing else." Buttercup sighed, and the three kids dug in.

Three full bellies later and Buttercup, Brick and Boomer were hunting Bugs. Boomer had described a number of insects to Buttercup and Brick, nervous about Brick's reaction to all this information. The red head boy glared as the blond spoke but never said a word. Buttercup was aware this was probably a bad thing but she had no intention of playing Chinese whispers just to inflate the leaders already inflated ego.  
The three spread out. As expected; Brick volunteered Boomer to be the bait and unfortunately for him Buttercup couldn't come up with an excuse not to use him. He would probably notice an attack sooner than Brick and would also know if the insect was actually worth fighting. Especially since this was no longer about defence but pulling apart the creatures to give them better odds.  
Brick and Buttercup trailed Boomer as they attempted to locate the first on the list. One of the stag beetles that had escaped from the atomic twister attacks earlier. "You know." Brick said conversationally, "I never realised he actually knew stuff"  
Buttercup looked at the Ruff and found she wasn't even remotely surprised. "You never thought to actually talk to your brother at any time did you?" She asked him. "I mean, I at least know what Bubbles likes and does with her free time."

Brick shrugged and watched his brother carefully. "Well. All I know is that after HIM brought us back, Boomer would disappear whenever he couldn't take the heat and return with a jar of insects and a bunch of made up words"  
Buttercup blinked at Brick's words. "I just assumed he was looking for attention so payed him no mind. He acts like such a baby the rest of the time so who knew"  
"Heads up Brick"  
Focusing back on Boomer everybody noticed the bug.  
"Alright, what we need to hit hard and fast... Let's split that thing like a sardine!" Talking over top of each other Buttercup and Brick acted almost as one facing the stag beetle head on and blasting its face with their laser vision. Without any planning at all Boomer instinctively chased around to the creature's tail and flipped it on it's back. All three began then cutting the monster out of its shell, the monsters screeching could be heard across several city blocks and just as they were finished with the first creature a large stick insect crawled into view around the corner of a building.  
"Bubbles!" Buttercup called out as she noticed the new target. "Grab the beetle armour and get it up here"  
Boomer blinked at the name and went to comply, only to have Brick whisper in his ear.  
"I can't!" The blond protested, earning himself a light reprimand. The bug part went flying and hit buttercup head on slamming her into the stick insect. Both of them grunted and when a dazed Buttercup dropped away from the building to be caught by Boomer the insect plummeted to the ground.

Buttercups looked up at the boys face in confusion before groaning; "Sorry for calling you Bubbles before." and Brick bust into laughter as Boomer put her on the ground with a blush.  
"Why do you follow him?" She asked the boy, "You're better than him"  
"Better than who"  
Sitting up Buttercup met Bricks glare head on. "He's smarter than you, he knows how to plan things and he's capable of doing stuff on his own"  
"Since When?" Brick demanded in reply, making Buttercup stutter.  
"Well, well... Who's the ONLY person who's ever had the gall to grab me on the butt?" She retorted, pointing at Boomer. The boy blushed and Buttercup instantly regretted saying it.  
The red head looked at the blond sceptically, "Well, did cha"  
"Um. Kinda..." The boy replied quietly and looked at the ground. Brick and Buttercup exchanged glances before Brick announced "Good One Buttercup. As if Bay Bee would have the guts for that"  
"Tell him Boomer!" Buttercup insisted.  
"I um"  
"He wouldn't have the guts!" Brick insisted again"  
"Grab my Butt"  
Brick blinked but remained quiet, waiting to see where this would lead.  
"Before hand was an accident!" The blond admitted, mumbling the reason why so that nobody could hear it.  
"Bubbles can go hardcore!" Buttercup demanded, "I know you can do! Now prove it"  
Boomer winced.

Boomer reached up under Buttercups skirt and placed his hand on the left bum cheek and all three froze, completely surprised at what had actually happened. The blond boy gave Buttercups ass an experimental squeeze, then snapped the elastic of her underwear with a satisfying pop before removing his hand. Buttercup was blushing like a beetroot now and brick, laughing like a hyena was high fiving his brother.  
"Awesome! I can't believe you actually did it! Brother Mine, you are slowly becoming a real boy"  
Buttercup slapped her forehead and stared at the sky, talking to herself. "I can't believe I INVITED him to do that!" She exclaimed, then slapped boomers hand away when he tried to grab her a second time.  
By the third failed attempt Brick was on the ground doubled up with laughter and by the 5th Buttercup was laughing to as they dissolved into a slappy fight. The laughter only stopped once, when Brick accused Boomer of sissy slapping but started again when Buttercup slapped the blond boy's arse hard enough to make him jump.

After that the mood in the group was better.  
The insect killed earlier before made suitable armour for all three children and the preceded along together, no longer split up according to gender or status but as a group. They reached the Park just as night was falling, having had only a few run-ins with the insect population. They stared at the volcano with their mouths hanging open.  
"No way." They all said at once, and then one by one shut their mouths.  
They looked at each other in turn not saying a word and floated back to ground level inside the lee of one of the buildings.  
"Damn!" Boomer said quietly. "What now"  
"I don't know!" Buttercup replied. Both of them turned to Brick for an answer.  
"I guess we find somewhere to camp down for the night. And figure out what to do about it tomorrow!" Brick replied. The two ruffs and the puff floated away - smashing their way into an empty building six floors up.  
Like all the others there was nothing in it, but the children assigned themselves 'rooms' and found places to curl up.  
None of them slept at first, all trying to figure out what they would do tomorrow.

Later that night Buttercup heard footsteps in her 'room'. Keeping her eyes shut she listened as the boy approached and pretended to be asleep.  
"Buttercup?" Boomers voice questioned quietly in the darkness. "You awake?" he asked.  
Buttercup sighed inwardly before replying.  
"I just wanted to thank you for earlier, Buttercup." The blond youth told her.  
Buttercup kept her eyes closed and muttered a "forget it"  
Then she felt the boy's lips touch her own and her eyes snapped open at the speed of sound. In the darkness Brick couldn't see the brunette's face or the shock that was on it.  
The boy grinned before heading back to his room, and the last thing Buttercup thought before closing her eyes for the night was:

"What have I gotten into now?"  



	7. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 - Large Possibility

"What do you mean Mojo's is gone"  
Bubbles and Butch sat in front of Blossom with their mouths hanging open. Bubbles had spent time earlier that day finding food that would at least pass as edible amongst the scraps in various bins. Her most useful find had been unopened meal packs in a dumpster outside a service station and using her ice powers she had frozen them to preserve them. She had also begun to create a kind of 'camp' involving a worn out mattress, a chair and a fire bin for warmth.  
With the sun now set it was this fire bin that the three of them were gathered around. Bubbles and Butch were seated on the mattress and Blossom was walking back and forth in front of them as though directing troops.  
"I mean gone." She replied, "The observatory is completely gone and the volcano's is full of rubble. I came to near the park so I got a pretty good look at it"  
She evaluated Butch and Bubbles shocked expressions and continued, "Further more. It looks like the volcano's been inactive for years. As near as I can tell"  
"But!" Bubbles interrupted, "I thought Mojo shot us. What did that ray do to us"  
"I don't know for certain, Bubbly!" Blossom replied quietly. "But since we woke up at different locations around the city I'd say he was holding us at his layer. When it was destroyed we were thrown clear."

"That doesn't work"  
Both girls looked at Butch. "If he was holding us drugged or something we would have aged wouldn't we"  
"Maybe. But I don't know that there are any other options. Bubbles, Buttercup and I have time travelled before and it's never been like what happened today. Plus with a time gun we should have all arrived at the same place, not spread out around the city"  
Two heads nodded in agreement and everybody went quiet, red head sitting down on the mattress on other side of Butch. Having run out of news she just stared at the burning fire.  
"It looks to me like we're trapped in the future." She said, ⌠The way the city is so empty I suspect they had at least a year to clear everybody out before this... The giant insects probably turned up afterwards."

It was at this point that a little light bulb went on in Bubbles head and she turned to face her sister.  
"Giant Insects!" She declared.  
"Yes we know!" Blossom and Butch said in unison.  
"No, I mean Giant. As in Giant like the guys from Monsters Island"  
Two more light bulbs came on.  
"Bubbles?" Blossom asked cautiously. "Are you thinking what I think your thinking"  
Bubbles started screeching with joy and she bounced up and down on the mattress. "Yes, Yes! One of the monsters is keeping us in his giant bug collection!" She yelled out, "And all we need to do is wave and let him know we're in here!"

Wo pairs of eyes blinked and Butch fell backwards onto the mat, groaning. Blossom followed him a second later knowing completely what was running through the boys head.  
"Is your sister always this bubbly?" He asked her.  
"Yeah. Trust me, you don't want to know"  
Butch looked up at Bubbles who was looking over the other two with a big grin on her face.  
"Actually, it's hard to tell how much is her innocence and how much is stirring!" Blossom admitted as she sat up. Butch stayed lying down - looking at the blond girls face as her eyes followed her sister.  
"So?" She asked. "What's next on the agenda?"

Sighing and thinking out loud Blossom poked the fire with a stick. Sparks jumped out of it in response.  
"The Monster island thing may be a good place to start. If the portal to Monster Island is still open and these insects did come from there then somebody on the island may know what happened to the city, and more importantly to Mojo"  
Again Bubbles and Butch nodded - thinking over the options. Some of the creatures on Monster Island were hundreds of years old so it was possible that one of them could help out.

Butch closed his eyes. The mattress had missing springs and was highly uncomfortable but he and his brothers had been camping at Fuzzy's cottage prior to this adventure and the wild man didn't even OWN a mattress.  
Bubbles lay down and curled up next to him, earning a curios look from the boy.  
"Considering the number of times you swear at us and the way you act when we fight" She asked quietly, "Your not really that bad are you Butch"  
Butch laughed and watched Blossom get up. The red head meandered across to the window and looked out for any signs of trouble.  
"You don't know what I'm going to do when you girls are asleep." Butch replied, grinning in spite himself.  
"Will it be dirty"  
Both Blossom and Butch stared at the Blond girl in shock.  
"Like putting the scraps in our bed, or peeing in public?" Bubbles elaborated, earning laughter from both of her companions.  
"That's enough Bubbles." Blossom laughed, ⌠That's enough!"

Heading to the hole in the wall she had made earlier that day, Blossom looked back at the boy and girl on the mattress. Butch closed his eyes and curled up himself, turning away from Bubbles with a humph.  
"I'm going to keep watch for a while." Blossom called back. "I'll wake one of you later on."

Minutes passed and in the darkness Bubbles wrapped her arms around Butch.  
"I thought you said you'd do something to me?" She asked in a sweet voice.  
"You're not asleep yet." The boy replied, shaking his head. "Besides, it's better if it's a surprise"  
"I'll be looking forward to it!" Bubbles replied. Butch chuckled and untangled him self from the girl, watching her as she slept.  
Blossom came back to the window and watched the pair of them nervously, but nothing happened until a few hours later when Blossom woke Butch for the shift change.  
Part of her didn't expect him to hang around after he took over. Come next morning she found she was right.

Blossom rose with the sun. The fire bin had gone out and everything was quiet outside. Bubbles was still asleep, a smile spread on her face. Looking at their surroundings it was clear Butch had left already as all the food she had scrounged earlier was missing. There was no sign of the boy in the street outside either and, re-entering their night-time haunt, Blossom couldn't help but looked at the blond girl and think she would be broken hearted. It was obvious that she had started to like the Brunette Ruff and his vanishing would come as a blow to her. She floated over to Bubbles and prepared to wake the girl rehearsing what she would say.

"Butch is gone isn't he Blossom?" Blossom jumped on hearing Bubbles sweet voice talking through a sleepy daze. For a second she thought the girl was awake but she'd seen this behaviour before. The entire house could collapse and Bubbles would take it in her stride while half asleep. Then her brain would catch up with the conversation and she'd react like a normal eight year old.  
Blossom knelt down next to her sister. Technically they were the same age but Bubble's immaturity always made her seam like the youngest.  
"Yeah. He's Gone Bubbly." She admitted frankly.  
"He took the food did he?" She asked.  
"And everything else that was any use to us"  
Bubbles hummed in her sleep and rolled over. "That's Good!" She replied, earning an apologetic wince from Blossom only to shock the red head with her next sentence.  
"I told him to take them. He went looking for his brothers and he's bound to get hungry soon."

Blossom blinked and stared at her sisters innocent face with her eyes still closed and shook her head as she looked at her 'younger' sister. She was still half asleep and like with all of Bubbles comments it was hard to tell if she genuinely understood anything that had just happened. Blossom floated up from the ground with a yawn and stretched her arms.  
"Well. We should probably get going too I guess"  
Bubbles floated up after her sister and opened her eyes gradually. Then she looked around.  
"Where's the bathroom." She asked cautiously. "I want to brush my teeth. And comb my hair"  
"There isn't one Bubbly" Blossom replied quietly. "The city's completely empty remember"  
Bubbles blinked. So far her reaction was good as everything slowly sunk in. Silently the girl began to cry.  
Blossom sighed and put her arms around her sister, comforting her. "There, there!" she said tenderly.  
"I WANT A SHOWER!" Bubbles cried, and blossom Blossom shook her head trying not to laugh at the fuss being made over the least important matter brought up that morning. "Don't worry about it Bubs!" She chuckled, ⌠Just don't worry!"

Some hours later the girls were on the streets again. Having determined that there was no point in going south to Mojo's layer the girls were heading north into the suburbs. Up in the mountains was a crack in space large enough to send an entire skyscraper through. On the other side of that crack there was another dimension and the infamous Monster Island.  
This was the home of the many monsters that had attacked the city in the past and also provided access to the den of an evil even more infamous than all other evils... The creature referred to only as ▒Him'. To get there though they had to pass over the trailer park district.  
It was a bad section of town that was all open space, charcoal ground and torn trees. Approaching it now from the abandoned city the girls had expected to see the area devastated by giant insects. They not expected to see the caravans in tact and no sign of anybody occupying them. The very nature of it being a Caravan Suburb suggested that the 'houses' would have left with their occupants but instead there was nothing but a barren landscape, garbage cans and metal boxes.  
Not even insects. All the insects appeared to be occupying the forest of trees beyond the park. The girls looked on aghast.

"I don't get it!" Blossom declared. "If they had had time to leave then the caravans should be gone to. Not to mention the rubbish! None of this makes sense. It's as though everybody left in under a day and took everything that wasn't bolted down"  
"Maybe they didn't leave. Maybe I was right about the bug collection idea?" Bubbles asked.  
"Sorry Bubbles. I don't think that's feasible"  
Bubbles shrugged, eying the forest and shuddering with the thought of all the insects occupying it.  
"I wish we had Butch with us." She muttered silently.  
"I know Bubs." Blossom blinked, "Don't you mean Buttercup, Bubbles?" She asked staring at her sister. Bubbles didn't reply.  
Off in the distance the Blue puff had actually seen something important. A brief flash of movement.

Flying at top speed she aimed herself at one of the caravans with a very confused Blossom trailing behind.  
"We can't just go barrelling through like this!" She yelled at her sister before seeing the girl vanish into one of the caravans. Two very surprised voices yelled out at her intrusion and Blossom doubled her speed joining her sister inside the caravan.  
Her jaw dropped at the sight of two mostly naked boys. Each was holding a long stick and wearing nothing but shorts. Blossom stood there and stared as Bubbles threw her arms around one boy only to be slapped away.

"Geese, Bubbles!" Mitch croaked in his grey and guttural voice. A boy their own age he was renowned at their school as a bully but seen as he was now there wasn't really all that much to him physically. Just a nasty atmosphere. "You act like you haven't seen me in years!" he commented dryly.  
"But we haven't, have we?" The blond begged, still trying to hug the boy. Blossoms eyes went from the protesting boy to Butch, who was now standing there beside the boy staring at bubbles as though she had just slapped him.  
"I saw you just yesterday!" The Mitch remarked, "Although I'll admit everybody disappearing after that light hit me was odd"  
Blossom blinked still trying to take it all in as Bubbles turned to the Green ruff. "Did you find you brothers yet?" She asked the boy non-plussed.  
He shook his head at her then expertly began twirling the broom handle in his hand as he began a practice routine.  
Bubbles just grinned at them.

"Okay. Stop. Somebody answer a sensible question for me"  
As Butch continued his routine Blossom went to ask Mitch questions. All three children ignored the Red puff though when Bubbles began her own trivia assault, talking so as to not let anybody else speak.  
"How long have you been here? How'd you get here? What have you been eating? Is there a shower? Have you used it yet? How long have you known Butch? Can you teach me that game from the other day"  
Blossom listened, mouth gaping as Mitch tried vainly to answer all these questions and took stock of the answers as at least half of them were sensible.  
"Since Yesterday; some light; Garbage; No, all the waters off. About 2 hours. Um"  
"ENOUGH!" Blossom interjected again, this time yelling loud enough to make the walls shake.  
Everybody fell silent.  
"Um. Can I ask one question?" Mitch asked raising his hand half heartedly. Blossom sighed her response impatient to start more important conversations.  
"Quickly Mitch." She replied in a grunt, "We have more important issues"  
"Where's Buttercup?" He asked simply.

Both girls lowered their heads and for a moment Butch and Bubbles eyes met.  
"We don't know." Blossom admitted. Of all the kids in the school Buttercup was the only one that really got on with Mitch. To him she was the sister he never had and only vaugely wanted. "Oh." Mitch replied.  
"I haven't found the boys either." Butch interjected, answering the thoughts on Blossom's mind. "I checked at Fuzzy's cabin thinking they'd head there but they haven't. This kid's the only boy in town. Possibly the only person in town other than us"  
Bubbles muttered a quiet "oh" under her breath then quickly and silently slid behind Butch and gave him a small hug. Having done that she sat on the floor behind them quietly.  
"What about Monster Island." she asked gently.  
"I haven't been there yet! I saw this kid on the way over and when I didn't find my brothers I figured two boys was at least half as good as three." Butch gave up on his quaterstaff drill and leant it against the wall. "Even if he is human at least he's still a guy!" he finished.  
"Thanks dude!" Mitch commented as both boys sat down beside bubbles. "But if you're heading to Monster Island then cut me out!"

"Why not"  
Mitch and Blossom gave Butch a sarcastic look before laughing.  
"Butch," Mitch explained generously. "I may be a fighter but I'm still human. If Buttercup can kick my arse as a girl then I don't stand a chance against a monster." Blossom nodded agreement.  
"I don't agree with Mitch very often, mainly cause he's a big jerk most of the time"  
"Thanks Bloss!" Mitch interrupted with a croak and a grin,  
"But he's right in this situation. The best use he would serve us is scouting around the city for supplies"  
"Woah, Woah!" Mitch began waving his arms in the air trying to get the girls attention. Bubbles giggled and Butch rolled his eyes.

"I can't just walk around with all those monsters out there!" Mitch complained. "I mean maybe if I had a Beebe or something for protection yeah but unarmed"  
"Bubbles giggled again, "I thought you liked insects Mitch. You're always grabbing them and shoving them down my dress"  
"That sounds so much like something Boomer would do." Butch chuckled, earning a look from Mitch.  
"Boomers my blond brother," he explained. "The boy equivalent of Bubbles here. He's immature and strange but a bug down somebody's dress is exactly his style"  
"We're drifting off subject boys!" Everybody turned back to face Blossom, the red head taking charge of the conversation again causing three pairs of eyes to roll.  
"Mitch. If Monster Island pans out badly then we're going to need food and supplies. So far the only foods I've found are scraps in bins and you're the best person I know for scrounging stuff"  
Mitch beamed at the backhanded compliment taking it for what it was.  
"Plus you're sneaky and underhanded." Mitch beamed even wider, "I don't doubt you can sneak around town without being eaten." His grin dropped and Butch started laughing again before giving the boy a hard slap on the back. It was hard enough to knock the boy into Bubbles, who complained bitterly at the intrusion.

It was Blossom's turn to roll her eyes now as Bubbles screeched and slapped Mitch back in the direction of Butch. Mitch crawled off of Butch who was now laughing like a hyena. All three failed to see Mitch blushing as a result of the little game and his thoughts on the matter were private as Butch picked the boy up with one hand.  
"Bubbles, Long Shot!" Butch shouted enthusiastically and wound up for a throw only to have Bubbles intercepted the boy in mid air before the Ruff could throw Mitch through the roof!  
"For goodness sake Butch?" Blossom scolded, "And your no better either Bubbles"  
Bubbles giggled and placed a terrified Mitch back on the ground. Butch looked at the ground as though with shame but grinned at his bit of fun only to be poked roughly in his side by a still furious Bubbles.  
"You're not winning points here!" She told him, wiping his smile off his face. The boy hesitated and turned back and forth between the girls.  
"I'm a bad Guy Remember! I don't have to earn points I just need to find my Brothers"  
His hands went to his mouth and covered them in shock.  
"I, I mean I, I take what I want and I do what I want!" He declared. It was too late though.

Shaking with emotion Butch busted a hole in the roof of Mitch's family caravan in his attempt to escape his own embarrassment. Blossom looked at the hole in the roof with her mouth hanging open and Bubbles at it with sorrow. Mitch shook his head.  
"Blossy?" Bubbles asked, "Can you stay here and get Mitch Ready? I need to go talk to Butchy right now"  
Blossom was still staring at the hole in shock so Bubbles closed the girl's mouth and repeated her question. She nodded grudgingly and Bubbles left through Butch's pre-made hole, following his flight trail into the nearby woods.  
It took her a moment to recognise the section of forest. The distressed boy was heading for Fuzzy's cabin and already knowing the way the girl cut through the trees in the direction of the clearing.  
There was no clearing however and no cabin. There was no sign that Fuzzy had ever lived there, just Butch sitting on a fallen log. He looked up as Bubbles landed near him and rubbed his eyes with his fists.  
"What do you want?" he demanded, refusing to meet the girls gaze. She smiled as her reply and sat down beside him quietly. Minutes passed as neither said anything and Butch slowly calmed down.

Bubbles on the other hand was furious. She wasn't showing it but it was audible in her voice.  
"Don't you think I'm missing Buttercup too?" She asked quietly. Butch looked at the girl surprised by the tone of voice. She was shaking with a fury that the boy had never seen before and it earned respect and authority from the Dark haired Ruff. She turned to the boy with anger in her voice and had compassion in her eyes and in that moment something touched Butch.  
It was Bubbles hand on the boy's knee. He looked at it then looked again at the blond girl in front of him as she began to speak.  
"I get that you love and respect your Brothers. I get that Brick is your leader and that you want to impress him and I get more than anything that you want to be back with them." Bubbles took Butch's hands in her own and he stared into her eyes.  
She's such a girl! He thought quietly, We have nothing in common. Plus she's good and I'm bad. So why, at this very moment do I feel so warm?  
His mind caught up with Bubbles words and he looked at her hands holding his.  
"But I won't allow you to make myself and Blossom feel bad just because you're upset!" She finished. "I care about what happens to you but I have to put her first. Understand!"

Butch nodded and looked at the blond girl. The most immature of the puffs. She played with toys; she drew with crayons and chalk. Badly at that as he'd seen some of her so called artwork. But she was the heart of the girls, he saw that. She was the thing that bound them together with her innocence and charm. A charm nobody could resist.  
Butch smiled.  
"Okay Bubbles." he said as he squeezed the girl's hands. "I promise not to cause trouble if you promise not to hug me again"  
"How about a tickle attack"  
"What"  
Butch never saw it coming and Bubbles was merciless. By the time it was over they were both exhausted but happy and they flew back to the Caravan side by side. Bubbles hand hung loose in the air as they flew and Butch did notice it, but considered he was too cool to be seen actually holding it. Even if a small part of him really wanted to.

While the Blue Puff and the Green Ruff talked, Blossom was not going to be caught idle. Taking matters (and Mitch) in hand, the two children were now in the process of dumpster diving. Blossom's plan was both to pump the boy for information about his presence and also to arm him against the insects that had infested the town.  
While Blossom wasn't holding out much hope for anything useful she had memorised the Girl Guide handbook some months back and was hoping for the pieces to make some armour and a weapon or two for the boy.

"So?" she asked, confirming what he had just said and mulling it over. "You were diving in a dumpster for gross stuff for show and tell when the bin began glowing around you"  
"That's right." Mitch huffed back, his voice echoing inside that very same dumpster as he sifted through garbage. Blossom had insisted he put more clothes on before doing this so that he could at least take off the garbage smell once he was out.  
"And that's when I passed out!" He finished.  
"And were you still in the bin when you came to"  
"Yeah. Where else would I have been?  
Bubbles scratched her head and sighed. "Yes. Where else in deed"  
Mitch threw out a piece of sheet metal and Blossom caught it, examining it and bending it back and forth in her hands.  
"Ouch!" She snapped. Looking at her palm Blossom examined the cut she had received from burrs on the edge of the metal. From the expression on her face an observer might have thought her hand had mutated into a wild monster. A small amount of blood began seeping from the wound and with a grimace she instinctively she placed the wound in her mouth and gently sucked on it.  
A few seconds later she began spitting from the taste, but the flow of blood had eased.

"What's going on"  
Looking up at Mitch, who was still in the dumpster, Blossom wondered how much he had seen and hid her hand.  
"We've got enough materials here to make some decent armour!" she told the boy as she waved the metal in the air. "Possibly a decent spear or something too"  
The boy jumped out of the bin and rubbed his hands together. Blossom wrinkled her nose at the approaching smell and shoed him away.  
"Ewe! Take off those stinky clothes and air them out first! I will NOT let you near me smelling like that"  
Mitch chuckled and began stripping down. When Mitch began removing his shorts Blossom panicked,  
"No, no, no need-" she started "Don't worry Red Girl!" Mitch stopped at his underwear. Blossom observed they were brown in colour and suspected that it wasn't the original colour either but chose not to ignore it as Mitch hung his clothes up on a line to air.  
"Even if I was completely naked right now," he told her, "I wouldn't even dream of doing anything bad with you." He reassured, "There's nothing bad I would want to do with you anyhow!"

Blossom stared at Mitch and he grinned in return, happy at having baited the girl so effectively and walked over to examine the items he had scrounged. By the time Butch and Bubbles had returned Blossom had used her strength and laser vision to shape the sheet metal into a rather crude looking piece of plate mail. Mitch meanwhile had taken the broom handles from earlier and hammered pieces of sharp metal into the end to create a rough spear. He was attempting to sharpen them with a large stone when the others got back but was only succeeding in wearing the stone down. Blessedly the boy had managed to get himself dressed before their arrival.

"Blossom!" Bubbles yelled after she landed, then noticed the boy next to her. "Oh, Hi Mitch!" She commented before noticing Blossom beside him.  
"What is it Blossom"  
"While we were in the woods I noticed something strange"  
"Yeah, I forgot to say," Butch interrupted, rubbing the back of his head with his hand. "When I said my brother's weren't there technically Fuzzy's Cabin wasn't either."

Blossom blinked as she took this information in and looked around at the empty caravan city surrounding them. "The caravans are here, but Fuzzy's cabin is gone..." a set of cogs began to grind in Blossoms head and she failed to pick up on Bubbles next words.  
"That was not what I was trying to say!" Bubbles said impatiently, earning confused looks from the boys.  
"Well then what?" Mitch prompted.  
"The volcano is there but appears to be dead..." Blossom continued, interrupting Bubbles again.  
"That wasn't it either!" this time Bubbles stamped her foot.  
"Calm down Bubbles!" Butch chuckled before placing a hand on Blossom's shoulder to grab her attention.  
"Let Bubbles speak"  
Blossom blinked her way out of her thoughts. "Oh sorry what were you trying to say Bubbles?"

Bubbles stared at her sister then began to blush. Looking at Mitch and then at Butch she finally settled for staring at the ground and rubbed her toe in circles in the dirt.  
"Um," She commented, "I forgot"  
Blossom didn't even try to make sense of it. This was perfectly normal for Bubbles to.  
"Was it important?" She asked.  
"I dunno." Bubbles admitted. "It seamed like it was but only in the way that it didn't make sense when I saw it"  
Blossom nodded, knowing it was either something in Bubble's imagination or that it would be something big. They would find out what the blond had wanted to say later. Butch chuckled and offered to sharpen Mitch's spears for him.  
"Can I have one?" he asked as he worked.  
"Sure."

As Bubbles examined Mitch's new armour and commented on the smell, Blossom watched on silently, still thinking about the cut on her hand. She'd been hiding it on purpose, fully aware that it made no sense. She had broken bones and had them heal completely within a day. She had dove into molten lava and felt nothing but an itch. And yet the burrs on a stupid piece of metal had cut her so effectively that she wouldn't heal.  
Something was not right with this place.  



	8. Chapter 4 Page 1

Notice from Author:  
I currently partway through chapter 6 of this story posted on another location. I have been posting here in full chaters but I shall post instead in the original layout I had been writing them.

At this point I BEG you to review, debate and pick my story apart. Particularly about my interpretations of the characters or any blatantly obvious mistakes (such as mixed up names or misnamed attacks). Everything I'm typing is based on the series as accurately as I can (based on my perception of the characters and events).

**CHAPTER 4**  
Stomping Grounds  
PAGE 1

"I told you it was a bad idea!" Buttercup grunted as she slammed her fist into a giant wasp.  
There were 6 wasps all up at the moment and their arrival had been a nasty accident.  
It had come about because neither Buttercup or the boys knew the streets very well from ground level. Brick had decided the best solution was to fly up as high as he could and get their bearings and while Boomer had tried to protest, Buttercup had agreed that they needed to find their location. It was still too dangerous to try and fly at higher altitudes for long times and nobody could remember what direction they had to go while trapped at street level so up brick had gone. As if proving that flight was a bad idea he had come back to earth with six large wasps trailing him and while he claimed he could have taken them on his own it was true that the group needed some practice.

Buttercup had been grudgingly teaching the boys ways to combine their attacks. It was a long process as the boys did not naturally work well together but thankfully the insects had no concept of fighting as a group either. They did outnumbered the little group however and could fly just as well as boomer; the fastest of the Ruffs just as Blossom was the fastes of the Puffs. This meant that while Brick, Boomer and Buttercup had a slight advantage in skill there was little time to put it to use.  
While Buttercup was fending off two insects the other four wasps converged on Boomer and Brick; forcing them back to back. The didn't notice until they physically bumped into each other and finding themselves surrounded the two boys linked hands with a grimace. Buttercup watched as they began spinning each other around - winding up for a 'Petal blade' attack and laughed at their reactions to the physical contact.

The point of 'Petal blade' was similar to Atomic twister but could function in the air. It's limitation was that it needed at least two flight trails to make it work but that was not normally a problem with the girls.  
The attack itself functioned by creating a plate of spinning air around the girls, or in this case boys, that behaved similar to a circular saw and was just as effective at cutting. It also created a pretty colourful pattern around them and Bubbles had therefore insisted on a flowery name.  
Buttercup laughed maniacally as Brick and Boomer held the attack for all of a minute before Brick let go and sent Boomer flying. Surprised by the sudden release he had barely avoided being thrown into a nearby building, but the blade had done the job. Two insects had been killed and the rest driven away. Buttercup cheered them, still laughing and met them at the ground level where Brick grunted about how 'girly' the attack was.

Silently Buttercup took note of their armour and weapons noticing the damage it had taken during the battle, her own armour included. I wonder if we can find something tougher. she wondered to herself but pushed the thought onto a back burner.  
"See Guys?" she commented out loud - grabbing Bricks hands and dancing around him in happy circles.  
"Le-go-a me!" Brick snapped and dug his feet in. "When you work together you can kick twice the ass!" She crowed unhindered as she danced with the brunette.  
Brick gave Buttercup a hard throw but Buttercup recovered perfectly having expected the behavior. She stood there hand on hips and mocked the Brunette shamlessly.  
"Oh come on, you know you liked the power in that attack!" she laughed. "And if you don't want to do those moves with Boomer then you know he'll do them happily with me!"

Boomer blinked and blushed under Bricks glare before waving at Buttercup to shut up. She replied to the boy by laughing at him then apologized half heartedly and stood beside the two boys.  
Brick grunted a few words at her and Buttercup replied feigning deafness.  
"What was that?" she asked coyly,  
"I guess your girly attacks have something to them!" Brick said grudgingly, "But is there any attack that doesn't involve spinning around?" This time boomer laughed at his brother with buttercup and she felt a very subtle shift in power.

"She was saying something about a fire cat or something to me earlier!" Boomer laughed, thinking over what Buttercup had told him. "I don't know the details but it involves using our laser vision to superheat the air around us and create a kind of kitten image. It can burn almost anything but its downside is you can't fly while using it. Only jump"  
Brick grunted; "Why's it has to be a cat!" which earned another peal of laughter from the Green puff.  
"Come on Brick!" Boomer began, trying to convince his brother; "Just think. With these attacks we can take on space giants or cream the guys on Monster Island without breaking a sweat"  
Brick grunted again.  
"We might even be able to burn down this city?" Boomer nudged.  
It took Brick all of three seconds thought to grab Boomers hand and pull him into the air.

Buttercup followed as the boys took position in a hole in the side of the building, still laughing quietly as she stood between the boys and took one hand in each of hers.  
"Alright boys. You need to concentrate for this one!" Brick and Buttercup began concentrating and launched themselves into the air but as they did so Boomer's eyes flung open and he dug in pulling the others back to the ground.  
"What's the big idea?" Buttercup and Brick yelled in unison. Both noticed what they'd done and faced opposite directions with in a harrumph.  
Without any change in expression Buttercup added a muttered; "Jinx" before addressing Boomer.  
"I thought you wanted to do this attack?" she asked. Boomer was not moved by her attitude as he once would have been. He looked from the Green Puff to the Red Ruff and spoke as though thinking out loud.

"Remind me again why we're wearing armour?" The boy asked.  
"Der, you'd forget anything! We's wearing it because we're not invincible anymore"  
Boomer nodded at Bricks observation.  
"And remind me what flaming feline does again!" This time Buttercup responded.  
"It surrounds us in a ball ... of ... fire ..." Buttercup blinked floating in the air silently. Brick also blinked but dropped to the floor and stared at his brother before giving him a congratulatory slap on the back!  
"All Right Boom Boy!" Brick crowed, "It's a good thing you do got brains in there"  
Boomer sighed and accepted the backhanded compliment for what it was.  
"So. We put kitty down for now!" Brick continued and Buttercup and Boomer nodded in agreement "So what do we do next?"

Three sets of shoulders shrugged in turn and three children each scratched their heads.  
"I think!" said buttercup, "We can pretty much assume we're alone in the city. So maybe we should just leave"  
"That sounds like a plan!" said Brick, "Although we can't just fly straight up. Every time we do we get intercepted by giant bugs"  
"That means cutting through to the outer suburbs!" Buttercup finished.  
"That ways the closest to the edge of the city!" Brick pointed as he spoke, having actually got the groups position. They couldn't see the suburbs for the city which meant it would be a fairly long walk, but looking at the position of the sun Buttercup soon realised. This would take their little group west towards the part of town where the girls lived.  
"Hey, we can go visit my dad on the way!" Buttercup yelled out enthusiastically. Then reality caught up with her all at once like the sound of a gong being rung behind her.  
Boomer put a hand on the Green Puffs shoulder as Buttercup's face drooped and unspoken the two pulled into a hug.

Brick watched the pair indignant and threw his hands into the air, blatently confused.  
"Why the hell are you hugging her!" He yelled at his brother.  
Buttercup wasn't crying. The feelings were too complicated for that. She didn't make any sound and no tears touched her face. She just held on to the boy and screwed her face up as though in pain. Then her legs gave out underneath her and the pair dropped to the ground still holding each other. Boomer Rubbed Buttercups back and spoke to her quietly.  
"They're not dead!" he muttered. "I know it's easy to think that. I keep finding myself doing that about Butch. DON'T let yourself think like that. No matter how alone you are never let yourself think you lost them. They will only be dead once you stop looking for them"  
Brick watched the pair. He didn't have any words in him that would do anything. Part of him boiled with rage at his brother's betrayal to all he held dear, the other part thought to Butch; Their own missing member.  
Is he still alive?  
"I would have known if they were dead." The boy said out loud as a memory came back to him. Buttercup opened her eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean!" She snapped, Boomer pulled her tighter into the hug for just a moment then eased back - a hand still on the girl's side.  
"I mean!" Brick replied, "Butch is always going on about how all three of us is connected and if one dies the others would know it! You and your sisters are probably the same"  
Boomer looked at his brother with respect as the ruff spoke.  
"Us three were created at the same time. Like those Siamese twin things. We look different but we're connected inside us somehow. You girls are the same!" And with that Brick turned to the west.

"You would know if your family were dead. You'd feel it!" He commented as he started walking. Boomer helped Buttercup into the air and they floated along after the Red leader. "Which is why you're going to suck it up, do what needs to be done and just trust you'll find em later"  
Buttercup nodded and the three began their journey east. Boomer still had his arm around her as the girl flew unsteadily - wracked with emotion. Her mind had more important matters to sort out than what to do about Boomers crush. She had to know what had happened.


	9. Chapter 4 Page 2

PAGE 2

The three of them travelled in silence. Buttercup recovered quickly but remained lost in thought, travelling alongside Boomer with her hands by her side.  
I know Bubbles and Blossom can take care of themselves but neither of them are real butt kickers.  
Boomer watched Buttercups face as she thought over things.  
She and Butch really do have a lot in common I guess. he thought silently. Both talk big and fight well but hide their feelings. At the same time, this is the first time Buttercup has made a fuss about her sisters. If I were missing this; long Butch would be banging Bricks head against the ground and trying to force him to look for me by now.

"You know..." Boomer muttered conspiratorially, interrupting Buttercups thoughts. Buttercup looked at Boomer with unfocused eyes and then slowly realised who was talking to her. "If you really Pressure Brick he will help you look for your sisters. He may be heartless," Boomer chuckled a little and put his hand behind his back, "But he's starting to treat you like he used to Butch so you might get away with it"  
"The girls should be fine." Buttercup replied, then drifted over the Boomer and slapped him on the back.  
"Although I wonder whether your brother and my sisters might be together at the moment. If so your brother could very well be dead by now."

"Yeah, Yeah. Blossom and Butch at each others throat right?" Boomer groaned. "I would hope they would work together like we are. They're probably looking for us right now"  
"Actually!" Boomer watched as Buttercup started floating ahead of the boy, making a beeline for Brick.  
"My though was Bubbles might have gone Hardcore on him cause he's always such a jerk! Not as Big a Jerk as Brick can be though!" Buttercup grinned as Brick turned around and sneered at the Green dressed girl. Buttercup just grinned and Boomer himself giggled.  
"You looking for another fight Green Thing?" Brick called back, "Cause if so then we'll be out in the suburbs in a second and we'll be open to all kinds of fun"  
"Cool!" Buttercup replied as Boomer sped to catch up. "Cause right now I need a Rumble"  
At the same time as Buttercup punched the air the two boys heard a crack above them. The roof of the building nearest Buttercup cracked and began to fall in; causing both boys to look at each other is shock.

She did it again! Boomer thought quietly.  
Whatever she's doing I WANT this power on MY side! Brick thought, staring at Buttercup unabashed. The girl looked from the building to Brick and then back again.  
"What?" She asked, "You're looking at me as though I made that roof collapse"  
"Did you?" Brick asked quietly. "Something like that happened yesterday when I told you I wouldn't look for your sisters"  
"It did"  
"Yeah. The building behind you began collapsing in on itself. You didn't notice"  
"Not really." Boomer watched as the words were exchanged as though watching a game of tennis, his head bouncing back and forth between speakers.  
Buttercup looked at the building whose roof had just collapsed. "Nah!" She declared. "Must have been a coincidence."

"I have an Idea!" Boomer interjected. As the attention focused on him Boomer blushed slightly then pressed on. "When we get to the Suburbs Brick and I will try to draw in attackers and Buttercup can see if she can do it again"  
Brick held his hand out towards Buttercup and smiled. The smile looked slightly unnatural on Brick at first but after a moment it looked natural. Buttercups mind spun around in her head looking at the boy.  
Oh my god... she thought, He's actually really cute when he's being nice! Who'd have thought it"  
Brick held out his hand and Buttercup looked at it with surprise. Boomer looked at the hand as though it had just assaulted him and he frowned.  
"I want to make a deal with you!" Brick said as Buttercup raised her hand.  
"If you give me a fair go and stop trying to take charge of our group. I will do everything I can to help train this power of yours. If it is a new power that is!"

Buttercup blinked and grudgingly shook his hand. "But you have to promise to at least let myself and Boomer suggest stuff instead of just telling us what to do all the time. Otherwise you're not much of a leader"  
Bricks eye twitched slightly but he agreed and the pair shook hands enthusiastically. As Brick and Buttercup took the lead entering into the suburb Boomer glared at his brother with fire in his belly. 


	10. Chapter 4 Page 3

PAGE 3

The boys watched around cautiously. Not far away a giant cockroach was gnawing on the side of a building.  
I think that's Molly's house. Buttercup observed and used her x-ray vision to confirm the house was completely empty.  
"The thing that bugs me more than the bugs are how there's not even furniture in any of these houses." Buttercup said out loud as the trio started to fan out.  
"It's not just furniture that's missing!" Butch replied out loud. "We passed a bank earlier. At least it said bank on the outside but it wasn't on the inside"  
"What do you mean"  
"I mean when I used my x-ray vision I couldn't even see a vault in there. No counters nothing. Just empty box rooms"  
Buttercup thought about it for a moment and shook her head. "Nothing makes sense in this damned world!" she said finally. "All I want to do right now is kick ass. I don't like having to skulk around like this"  
Brick chuckled, "I hear ya on that one green thing!" he snickered, "I'm sick of hiding and stuff as well. Let's try you on that roach!"

Looking over the environment Brick took command, "Boomer! You round that side!" he shouted, "I'll take the other. If Green thing can't do it then we'll have to hold it captive some how"  
Buttercup blinked. In her mind it took a moment to separate Brick from the image of her sister, the method of command wasn't all that different. Buttercup watched as Boomer and Brick flew into position and took up stance several metres from the insect. It had noticed the Ruffs by now and was slowly becoming aware that it didn't have anywhere to run.  
Buttercup punched in its general direction and nothing happened. She tried again and again punching and kicking and getting more and more worked up.  
"For god sake let me just hit the thing normally!" she screamed eventually - her voice carrying with enough force to shake the surrounding buildings.  
"Performance anxiety!" Boomer chuckled and shouted the remaining words at Buttercup "Don't worry Buttercup. I get like this when I try something new to!"

Buttercup blinked at the words. "WHAT's THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?" She called back and swung her fist in Boomers direction. The boy grunted and went flying into the air. Stopping a few kilometres up he dashed back down. The cockroach had seen its opportunity and was running.  
"Good One!" Brick yelled out at nobody in particular - "Just get the sucker"  
"Yeah, Yeah!" Boomer replied as he picked up speed. Curling into a ball Boomer rolled as he fell and tried to direct his flight path towards the roach.  
I need to do this just right! he thought, If I hit at the wrong angle it's going to hurt like the dickens!  
Buttercup and Brick watched on. Boomer was surrounded by a blue haze created from his flight trail. As he fell he banked around coming at the roach broadside. Boomer never touched the insect but the combination of speed and proximity picked the creature up, dragging it after the blond boy and allowing him to slam the roach into a nearby building without actually touching it.

Boomer came out of his attack with a broad grin on his face and floated in front of his companions, pleased. Buttercup and Brick just looked at each other, the boy and then back at the stunned roach.  
"AWESOME" they yelled in unison and converged on the creature for a second time.  
"Shall we try this again"  
"Just don't hit me again!" Boomer complained.  
"Yeah, Yeah. It was just a sucker punch so don't panic." Buttercup slammed her fist into her hand as she looked at the roach. "This thing has it coming"  
Boomer sighed then noticed the look of weariness and tiredness on Buttercups face. He thought to his own brother and smiled.  
Okay... he thought, I guess I can let that go. She's just stressed out.  
Buttercup punched the air again, this time trying to concentrate on capturing the feeling she'd had when she'd hit Boomer. Again it failed.

Behind them a wall colapsed on a building and everybody looked nervousely.  
"Turn around!" Brick said experimentally.  
Buttercup blinked at this and complied, punching again. Another wall collapsed on the same building.  
Boomer stared then looked at Buttercup. It was still relatively early in the morning and his eyes went to Buttercups shadow. "Do it again"  
Brick followed Boomers eyes and caught up with his thoughts. "It's Your Shadow!" He yelled out loud as Buttercup knocked down another wall.  
"Hahaha! Your so mean evil you shadow kicks ass!" he yelled out before picking up the Roach and throwing it to one side. "That's so Corny"  
"How does it work?"

"It must be telekenisis!" Boomer commented, then sighed at the confused expression on both faces. Brick growled under his breath before speaking.  
"Do you Really have to rub it in with all these big words!" He complained bitterly, then grabbed Boomer into a headlock and delivered a high speed noogie.  
"Ah, Quit that Brick." The green Puff interjected, slapping the Ruff lightly on the shoulder and walking to stand behind him. "He cant help being smart. Trust me I get this from Blossom on a daily basis. When you pack so much into one head - stuff just starts seeping out"  
Brick stopped but kept his brother in a headlock and winked at Buttercup. "dont tell me you never do this to blond girl?" He asked.  
"Her names Bubbles." Buttercup snapped back, only to smile in spite of herself. "Yeah I do; but not when I want to get something out of her!"

"She's moving and smashing things with her mind!" Boomer began to explain from his prone position; "At the moment the power isn't fully developed so she needs something real to manifest," he hesitated for fear of an ongoing noogie and corrected the word, "Active, the power. So at the moment she's doing it using her shadow. In time and with practice she wont even need that"  
"Cool!" Brick replied, and finally let the blond boy go. Buttercup helped him up and the three floated into the air.  
"But if ya need training!" Brick insisted "I know!" Buttercup interjected, "You've promised to help me. I'm assuming that means ther'll be sparring sessions where I'm basically just standing there punching and kicking thin air"  
"Yeah, I guess so." Buttercup blinked, realising both boys had spoke in unison and eyed them. Both were too lost in their own thoughts to notice the stereo sentences.  
A thought crossed Buttercups mind and she voiced it out loud. "Can we still go past my place?" She asked quietly.  
"Yeah. I guess"  
"Thanks." Buttercup sighed, "I want to see if the Professor left anything behind is all. He's got an underground laboratory after all"  
"Point!" 


	11. Chapter 4 Page 4

PAGE 4

"Not to mention that the underground bunker the lab connects to could house nearly a hundred people"  
"Also a - hang on what bunker?" Brick turned around in mid air as the three drifted across Townsville. "There's this zappy thing the professor keeps in the lab that sends you to this big bunker he uses for major projects. Like the DyNaMo robot"  
"Oh so THAT's where the mayor stole that from!" Boomer commented with a grin.  
"Hehe! Yeah, that Robot was awesome when it was ripping up the town and stuff!" Buttercup chuckled at the boy's behaviour.  
"It caused a lot of problems too ya know"  
"Yeah we know. Didn't stop us from watching all the distruction from on top a Mojo's though"  
"It was a wheeze alright!" Buttercup and Brick both looked at Boomer because of his last response.  
"A wheeze?" Brick asked, "Who says that anymore"  
"I know who! The professor that's who!" "Good one Buttercup! I rest my case!"

Boomer scowled and watched the sky, identifying different types of bugs at a distance and classifying them. In his mind he tried to recall the books he'd seen. Never mind that he still couldn't read that well, the pictures had been nice and the old guy willingly teaching him anything he could.  
"See Brick run..." Boomer chuckled silently, staring at the back of his brother's head.  
"What was that?" Brick responded, half hearing Boomers comment.  
"Just thinking out loud"  
Boomer blinked as Buttercup floated back towards him. The pair had been actively talking for the last hour, discussing monsters and fighting styles, so that her appearance beside him caught him off guard.  
"I um"  
"I heard you loud and clear!" she whispered. "Are you, Boomer Jojo, getting jealous"  
"Uh, well"  
"Well?"

"Oh for god sake Buttercup!" he exclaimed at last, "Your treating us like toys or something"  
"So"  
"So, if you're going to play with me - just remember that I'm not a Mojo doll or anything. You can't rip my arm off or tie firecrackers to me and you definitely can NOT throw me to the dog or anything! I'm a living person"  
Boomer crossed his arms, still floating after his brother. Buttercup just looked at him for a while as he sheepishly looked at the ground. A moment passed and he slowed down, making circles in the air with his left foot.  
"Yeah, well." He mumbled, "I know brick and I sometimes treat real people like that to. But this is emotions I'm talking about"  
Buttercup continued to stare at him, grabbing his hand and pulling him back up to speed so they didn't fall too far behind their Red leader.  
"You guys are bad guys, Boomer!" She replied, "I don't intend to hurt you, but realise that I'm not going to fall in love with either of you... at least not unless the pair of you do a lot of changing"  
"You and Brick have a lot in common don you"  
"I have a lot in common with you too. Brick's too arrogant for his own good!"

Boomer mulled this over. He hadn't even registered he was technically hand in hand with Buttercup because she was actually pulling him along rather than floating side by side. Then they caught up with Brick.  
The Ruff glared at his brother on seeing him holding hands with the Green eyed girl. It took a moment for Boomer to register and by the time he'd thought to poke his tongue at his brother Buttercup had already let go and wondered off.  
The three of them were near the Professors house now and buttercup was pre-occupied with her own thoughts. The boys exchanged looks with Boomer blatantly making fun of his brother. Brick retaliated by punching the boy in the gullet, making him double over flutter to the ground.  
"ooo-ugh!" He commented as he glared at Brick, "Why can't you ever fight fair"  
Brick put his hands on his hips and looked down at his brother with a mixture of anger and disappointment.  
"Oh yeah!" Boomer realised, "I forgot. You're a jerk"  
Brick shook his head and trailed after Buttercup, stopping as they came out onto the street facing the Utonium household. "And don't you forget..." he called back, loosing track of what he'd been saying.

"What?" Boomer was in the air in a flash and floating above the others. Shock set in as all three stared open mouthed. Boomer looked down at buttercup to see she had started shaking. There where the Utonium house should have been was just a giant hole in the ground.  
"What happened here?" Buttercup cried, both anger and pain showing in her voice.  
Boomer dropped to the ground and put his arms around the shaking girl. Brick followed suit a second later so that both boys were holding her, one from wither side.  
"This doesn't mean anybody's dead!" Boomer said as Buttercup trembled. Brick, while actively hugging Buttercup, was not looking at her. Instead he stared at the hole in the ground; Buttercup's shadow was being cast from the sun high above them onto the edge of the hole near where they were standing. His eyes followed the shadow back to the girl noticing that it was almost solid black against the ground.  
"Look at the regularity!" Boomer continued, correcting his words as an afterthought. "I mean that's not a hole from an explosion. There was nothing there in the first place"  
"That makes it even worse!" Buttercup growled.  
"No it doesn't!" Brick interjected, "It makes it better! It means your father was nowhere near here when this happened."

"It means..." the ground underneath Buttercup's shadow became pitch black and cracks started appearing in it.■The Professor abandoned us"  
A tear appeared in Buttercups eye and she swung out one of her arms to shake Brick off. A section of masonry by the edge of the hole exploded in a shower of dust and Brick was thrown clear. He slammed against the wall of Robyn's house with a large crack. Stumbling to get to his feet he yelled in pain as Buttercup and Boomer struggled with each other.  
The feeling in his right arm was gone, bar a stabbing pain right at the shoulder. "Oh GREAT!" He yelled as he held it gingerly... "I probably broke the Damn thing"  
Back by the Utonium's now above ground basement Buttercup was audibly crying. The ground beside her regularly exploded in showers of dust as Boomer struggled to hold on to the upset girl down and slowly managing to manoeuvre her into the street.

Brick floated into the air after the pair, mumbling to himself. "I knew this was a bad idea." He decided eventually, "That girl is completely out of control"  
Brick glared at the Buttercup and spat, hitting buttercup in the back of the head. As with everything the boys and girls did the ball of spit moved fast, the force knocking the pair to the ground and causing them to roll several feet. Buttercup groaned and looked up - Boomer lying on top of her and groaning. Brick floated there above them with murder in his eyes.  
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING GREEN?" He demanded, before grunting from the pain in his arm and dropping to the ground. Grabbing Buttercup by the cuff of her dress with his good hand he hefted her out from under his brother and pointed her to the remains of the site of her old house.  
"Look at that!" He ordered. The plot that marked the utonium house now looked like there had been an explosion. The sides of the plot had been smashed in and the space between the 'house' and the children was nothing but rubble. "um." Buttercup replied as Brick grunted and dropped the girl.  
"No matter who you're up against, or what happens you should ALWAYS keep your head!" He groaned. "I haven't been in this much pain since I DIED!" He grumbled.  
"Sorry."

Boomer had got up and, taking the opportunity, was now trying to hug buttercup again. The pair was seated; Brick pacing back and forth in front of them.  
"You and Butch are so the same!" Brick went on, grunting occasionally. "Butch is infamous for loosing his cool. So what if your fathers not here! That doesn't give you the right to break people's arms"  
"Brick you Jerk!" Boomer interjected, "YOU need to learn compassion. Buttercup's hurting here"  
"I'M Hurting here!" Brick snapped back, before moaning in pain at having tried to move his arm"  
"Brick, you "  
"He's right."

Both boys looked at Buttercup. She had calmed down finally and while her face looked weary she was no longer crying.  
"Brick is right. I have always impulsive. I mean I try to stay calm and I'm much better than I was since Sensei Greg's lessons but just now I was out of control"  
Boomer sighed and looked at his brother pleadingly.  
He groaned and sat down in front of the others, still holding his arm. "Look!" he instructed, "I'm not sayin' don't blow shit up or hurt people. Don't just do it cause you're mad. You got ta plan mayhem"  
The pair looked at Brick confused, imaginary question marks appearing above their heads.  
"What on earth... "  
Boomer looked at his brother, noticing the boys arm. ⌠Want me to fix that first?■ 


	12. Chapter 4 Page 5

PAGE 5 

"Sure, sure, okay!" Brick muttered. Grunting, he sat beside his brother and glowered at Buttercup. "Are you gonna do something. Maybe look for something to eat"  
"But um..." She asked in reply as Boomer proceeded to cut a piece of wood with his laser vision. "What are you...?■ "I learnt this off of TV." Boomer explained.  
"Yeah. It was a stupid show!" Brick interjected, "When Boomer told us he wanted to play doctor we thought he wanted to cut people up and stuff. Then he started putting bandages on us and stuff instead"  
Buttercup blinked and stared as Boomer removed his shirt and started tearing into strips.  
There's no way I'm seeing what I'm seeing! she thought as the boy proceeded to splint Brick's arm.  
He's normally just as rough as the others. Spitting, hitting, destroying crap as badly as I do - and then I learn he's smart and now I learn this. It's like some kind of secret identity!

"I need a needle!" Boomer interjected Buttercup's monologue.  
"What?" - Came her confused reply?  
"Look!" Brick sighed, "Just get him a small stick or something. It doesn't need to be real." Buttercup looked from Brick to Boomer and then back again.  
Heading over to a devastated house she grabbed a two by four and whittled it down to a four inch long stick using her heat vision.  
"I don't get how this is supposed to do anything?" She muttered as she passed it to Boomer.  
"It doesn't do anything!" Brick insisted, "At least not directly"  
Brick was getting agitated now and his next words were said with a sigh of exasperation.  
"He did this once when Butch broke his arm" Brick explained, "and it worked; but it doesn't work good unless he goes through the whole thing"  
"But," Buttercup asked as Boomer pretended to give Brick an injection.  
"But!" She said again, before noticing the slight hum in the air. She felt herself relaxing as Boomer performed his pretend injection and could see Brick was relaxing at the same time.  
How? she wondered,  
"We don't know how." Brick said, as though answering her thoughts. He stood up and glowered at Buttercup, daring her to comment.  
Buttercup thought for a moment, then grinned. "I don't need an answer!" She said eventually. "If I can shadow box walls then Boomer can heal. I don't question facts unless I can beat them up first"  
By the end of the sentence everybody was grinning and the atmosphere had eased considerably.  
"Now what were you saying about intelligent destruction?"

Minutes passed into hours. At first the three looked around for more food. Eventually Buttercup stumbled across a food van, parked by one of the houses, the engine had cut out and the freezers were no longer working, but the food had yet to spoil. They ate well and as afternoon moved on the shadows stretched back towards the city. Buttercup looked to the horizon and was unable to see the sun.  
"Weird?" She thought out loud. She turned to face the city centre - staring down the building.  
"I've done this before in make believe!" She called down to the boys. They flanked her on either side as body guards, watching for the massive insects that could easily make this event more interesting.  
"Then you should be an expert at it!" Brick called back, watching her as she strapped chunks of garbage to her arms and legs.  
Brick and Boomer followed as Buttercup ascended. Her shadow passed over the city, looking terrible in repose.  
In truth, Buttercup looked pretty silly with the rubbish strapped to her body. Never-the-less, her shadow was terrifying.  
"Alright!" Brick cried out. "Everything clear, commence Destruction!"

The sounds of destruction could be heard clear across the city. Buttercup focused her mind and reached out a large and totally fake claw. A large building found itself severed halfway up its length and thrown across the city scape.  
Raising her foot she stamped, screaming to the city in general; "I shall pull down EVERY building!" She cried. Brick and Boomer started yelling out in response.  
"Yeah, smash it! Take it down! Yeah, yeah, yeah!" They answered.  
"I'm a big bad and I'm here to TAKE YOU ALL OUT!" she yelled!  
"BIG BAD! BIG BAD"  
Buttercup giggled. The boys stopped their chatter and stared openly at such a girlish action, but started yelling again when Buttercup picked up a house and pretended to use it as a bowling ball.  
"Yeah, THIS ROCKS!" They yelled in unison.  
"Owe!" Brick replied suddenly - holding his still bandaged arm.  
"he he!"

Buttercup's shadow picked the spike from the top of a building and used it like a sword to cut through the main art gallery. That's when Boomer hesitated.  
Looking at the landscape, something immediately felt wrong and Boomer focused his vision. A small figure was moving around the base of a building - barely dodging a piece of falling masonry.  
Boomer's heart stopped.

"HUMAN!" He screeched - looking at the figure. For some reason he couldn't focus on the figure properly but he didn't need to. Nothing they'd encountered in the city so far looked even remotely human.  
"HUMAN!" he screamed again. Tackling his brother's body in mid air and yelling at him. "There's a human in there, we have to stop"  
Getting no response from Brick, who quite honestly was still reeling from being attacked but the 'wimp' of the family, Boomer proceeded to tackle Buttercup.  
She reeled in mid air, her shadow smashing down several buildings at once.  
"What the Hell?" she demanded, struggling to throw Boomer to the ground - and smashing up more of the city before her power cut off.  
"What the Hell do you think you're "  
"There's a HUMAN in the city!" Boomer demanded, turning back to the ruins.  
Buttercup turned and looked. Neither of them could be seen for the speed they were travelling.  
Over 50 insects and several building got picked up in the draft of their flight and Brick stared at them.

Seconds later - a push-bike smashed against a wall dramatically as Boomer and Buttercup picked up the small figure riding it.  
It was dressed in some form of metallic armour but the blue ruff and green puff carried him with ease.  
Brick stared, following at a slower pace.  
"What on earth is this about?" he said, still nursing his arm.


	13. Chapter 4 Page 6

PAGE 6 

"Mitch"  
"Aww Geeze, Buttercup"  
"Who?"

Buttercup grinned and hugged the uncouth boy in mid air, the boy's bike having crashed against the wall beneath them.  
"Geroff, Geroff!" he protested as Boomer began laughing. "This is embarrassing Buttercup, stop"  
"You precious little!" Buttercup continued, "The first human we've seen since we arrived"  
Finally Mitch stopped struggling, resigned to his fate. "Damn it Buttercup"  
"Who's Mitch"  
All four floated down to a landing created in the side of a building by Buttercup's attack minutes earlier. Boomer squatted down and stared at boy who Buttercup insisted on hugging so violently. For some reason he didn't feel threatened by her closeness with him.  
"I say again, who's Mitch?"

"I am!" Mitch replied, finally prying the green puff off him self. "I "  
"He's a boy from our school!" Buttercup interupted, "He's a pain in the ass but he's sort-of like a brother to me"  
"Only without all that icky stuff!" Mitch corrected, only to have Buttercup hug him again.  
"AWWR STOPIT ALREADY! I'm only here ▒cause your sister's told me to look for supplies"  
"WHO WHAT!" Everybody yelled simultaneous. Mitch stopped his sentence in its tracks at the volume of the yells and smiled.

It took a moment for events to settle in to the boys heads and the next thing anybody knew Brick had the boy by the cuff of his shirt. "Have you found Butch?" he demanded, "Is the block head alive! Did you find him"  
"Butch!" Mitch reeled in confusion until Boomer pried his brother's hands away. "Yeah, He's with Bubbles and Blossom over by the forest"  
"Then he's alive?" Boomer confirmed, "And well"  
"Yeah well," Mitch began, only to find himself being hugged by the blond haired boy with the same persistance as Buttercup had done moments earlier.  
Mitch's face turned bright red and Brick slapped his brother on the back of the head.  
"Ow!" Boomer complained, "You have to admit that hearin' our brother's is alive is worth a hug?" he demanded.  
"Nothin' is worth actin like a gurl." Brick replied curtly "Can you take us to them"  
"Sure I can. I think they're heading to Monster Island!"

"Why on earth would they be heading there"  
All three super children were now gathered around Mitch, waiting for information. Not used to being the centre of attention without being blamed for something the boy was naturally nervous. He scratched his head and fidgeted, staring at each of the puffs and ruffs in turn and blushing hotly at the attention.  
"We can find that out later." Boomer interrupted, "WE should start heading in their direction again"  
"We were trying to leave the city, blockhead." Brick said before his brain caught up, "But I agree. It'll be easier if we find our dimwit brother first"  
Buttercup nodded, "And my sisters."

"I couldn't care the less about your sisters"  
Boomer took up his courage and slapped the red head just as he'd been slapped earlier; leaving Brick mentally stunned. The look he gave Boomer described several different kinds of murder and it was made clear that the only reason none of them were happening was because of Bricks injured arm.  
"Who knows what's happened out there!" Boomer committed himself, "We need all the firepower we can get. You were saying that yourself only a few hours ago"  
Brick shrugged.  
"Let's just get a move on already!" He replied, and the four floated out into the air, Buttercup and Boomer carrying the human between them.

The progress back through the city was actually faster than the original journey, even with a human in tow. One of the biggest reasons for this was Buttercup's shadow attack earlier. Having devastated about a fifth of the city; many of the larger insects had fled on instinct. Brick and Buttercup flew in front, carrying the food truck they had discovered earlier with Boomer supposedly keeping lookout. Neither Brick nor Buttercup felt particularly safe, not because of the lull but more the behaviour of the boys meant to be keeping watch.

"So you get to eat candy and beat up monsters?" Mitch probed Boomer as they flew. Boomer was carrying Mitch's entire weight by himself and they'd been talking actively the whole time.  
"And we beat up people. Steel what we need. Plus I collect bugs!" Boomer replied proudly. "I know the names of most all the ones that 'ave attacked us"  
"Collect as in pin them to boards and put labels on them?" Mitch questioned, looking up at the blond boy above him. "That sounds cool. I've tried to collect them before but they always start stinkin or the ants get to them! Mostly I just stick them down girl's shirts."

"Will you two be quiet back there?" Brick yelled back, "We're in hostile ter.. terr"  
"Territory!" Buttercup finished for him.  
"Right, surrounded by enemies and stuff"  
Boomer and Mitch blinked in unison; "What enemies?" Mitch asked confised, just as A large flee appeared in the air beside the two boys.  
It was about half the size Boomer and while it missed them with it's jump it's two black feelers waved in their direction, acknowledging their presence, before it fell back to street level.  
Watching it as it fall Mitch and Boomer blinked again.  
"Sorry!" they said in response to Brick's telling look.  
Buttercup's sighed at them. "Lets Land!" she insisted, "I think we need to go over how we're doing this?"

Depositing the van, it was Brick's turn to notice the sun.  
"What time of day is it?" Brick brick asked shielding his eyes.  
"We're running out of daylight." He frowned in confusion as the four landed.  
"Yeah, I noticed that too!" Buttercup said as they deposited the van. "I didn't look at it before but something seams different doesn't it"  
"Older maybe"  
"I dunno, what do you think Boomer?"

Boomer and Mitch trotted around the van to look at the sun as well, Boomer staying close to the blond boy. Buttercup looked at them and smirked.  
"It does look weird." Boomer remarked, "But I don't know all that much about the sun. We'd have to ask your sister on that one"  
Buttercup examined Boomer and Mitch critically for all of five seconds, then grabbed Brick by the shoulders and manoeuvred him away from the truck.  
"Hey what"  
"You and I are going to 'scout ahead!'" she insisted, before calling back to the other boys.  
"Boomer, Look after Mitch! And don't eat all the food"  
Brick struggled against her for a moment before catching the strange look in Buttercups eye, he allowed himself to be pushed into the air and towards a nearby skyscraper.  
"What the hell are you up to?" He demanded when she finally let him go.  
"I'm not sure yet."

Moving back to the edge of the landing she stared out the hole in the wall.  
"But Mitch has a secret" She continued, "that only myself and Blossom know. I have a sneaky idea that he wants to share it with your brother"  
Brick blinked and stared at the back of the green puff's head before following her to the edge of the landing.  
Back on ground level Mitch was getting Boomer something to eat. Having done so; Boomer hefted the boy onto the top of the van with Brick and Buttercup looking on.  
"Why would somebody trust you with a secret?" Brick quizzed Buttercup with half a mind. He strained his super hearing back towards his brother in the silence.  
"Well?" He asked again. Buttercup mumbled her reply angrily and Brick was forced to ask her to repeat it.

"What was that sound?" she replied, causing Brick's brow to furrow in confusion.  
"It's the sound of me asking you a question"  
"No!" Buttercup insisted, her attention suddenly shifting again. "I thought I heard scraping"  
"Probably a bug, answer my question"  
"No!" Her head spinning slightly from the rapid change in focus; she located the source of the sound several stories above them and yelled "Part of the building's collapsing"  
"What!"

Brick suddenly found himself thrown off the edge of the landing and into empty space. He waved his arms for a second to keep himself from spinning and glared at the rapidly accelerating Buttercup. "Stop talking and save your god-damned brother!" was the screeched reply.  
Brick looked up as the building above him creaked and a large section of wall fell off. Still confused and of center, he caught it with one hand and supported the weight of for all of a minute on his one good arm. Buttercup wasn't idle either √ flying underneath the food van she moved it down the street, boys and all. Seconds later the wall finished collapsing and a cloud of dust drifted up from the street filling the sky above it with relative silence.

Boomer lifted off from the top of the food van and stared at the section of collapsed building. Mitch - likewise poked his head over the side of the van.  
"Damn." They said in unison. "I guess this wasn't the best place to stop."


	14. Chapter 5 Page 1

**Chapter 5  
Prey**

PAGE 1

Blossom was nervous. As she, Bubbles and Brick hiked by foot into the forests and hills north of Townsville she couldn't help but be aware that they were surrounded by the largest percentage of insects since the moment they'd arrived.  
The thing that frustrated Blossom most of all though is that she seamed to be the only one taking it seriously. Behind her Bubbles and Butch were floating along side by side and chatting idly and for the life of her Blossom had no idea what the two could have in common.  
"Buttercup's exactly the same!" Bubbles chimed in animatedly, "Buttercup is ALWAYS picking on me or annoying Blossom"  
"Yeah, But she doesn't have the attitude Brick does or else she'd be leading you"  
"Will you two quit it?" Blossom finally interrupted, spinning in mid air to address her followers. "With the way you two are jawing I'm surprised we haven't had every insect in the forest on top of us!"

Bubbles stared at Blossom for a second. "You cant here it Blossom, but the reason no bugs are attacking us is cause the meat eaters are eating the bugs who aren't"  
"Oh." Blossom responded. Noticing Butch's knowing nod she pulled a face at the boy. "Don't pretend you knew that too. You know full well you didn't"  
"Didn't need ta!" He replied smugly, "I'm just glad to see Bubbles one up you"  
Blossom stared at him blinking, evaluating the boy's expresseoin.  
"Oh Pa-lease." She laughed, then crossed her arms and turned away from him.  
"Don't assume I'm going to stoop to the same level as your numbskull brothers!" she replied; and floating face first into giant grasshopper. It looked at her quizzically then hopped away while the blond and brunette snickered at her.

Steam could almost be seen rising of the red head.  
"aaarrg, That's it!!" she yelled in frustration, "What is it with you two? You're mortal enemies yet you chat as casually as best of friends"  
Bubbles and Butch looked at each other and blushed then snickered again.  
"Whatever!" Blossom responded finally, then turned around and tried to shoo away a large moth that was trying to attach itself to her back.  
"I think the portals in that direction!" Bubbles giggled finally as the three of them floated off again with the moth fluttering around them in a nerve racking manner.  
Butch looked at it silently as the travelled higher up the mountains.

"You know anything about bugs Bubs?" Butch quizzed the blond quietly.  
"Just that most of em are creepy!" she mumbled.  
Butch's words were hesitant. "Boomer knows a lot about bugs." He replied, seaming to think. "At least he seams to, but he doesn't speak up all that often. He's way too much of a nerd and I don't totally blame Brick for beating on him when he starts sayin all that rubbish"  
"That's why your little group doesn't get anywhere!" Blossom called back to the boy, having been listening with half an ear. "Because he isn't schooled and he doesn't listen to other people"  
"You don't listen to other people either Blossom"  
"Sure I do Bubbles, when they have something useful to add"  
Bubbles and Butch exchanged quiet grins and kept following their leader.  
Bubbles held her hand out towards Butch, but on noticing it the ruff drifted ahead of herin a nonchalant manner. Bubbles just smiled at his back as though she had accomplished some goal.

"Hey Red?" Butch asked with only a measure of caution, putting his hands behind his back, "If you're the brains of this operation and you recon you listen to other then tell me, when do we get to beat something up"  
"Is that all you think of Butch?" was the groaned reply.  
"Nope! But I'm bored, so I want something to do. I figure, we're surrounded by enemies and barely getting anywhere for the tees. If you were Brick he'd have a way to deal with both problems at once"  
Blossom blinked but didn't say respond.  
"Do you have anything in mind?" She asked finally.  
"Not my department. But surely we can get there faster with just that little bit of brute strength"  
Blossom blinked again and stopped her forward motion, causing Butch to bump into her.  
"Hey!" He declared indignant.  
"Oh stop your grumbling. I think you're right"  
"Well you don't need to - wait what?" Butch replied, genuinely confused.  
Bubbles giggles and Blossom rubbed her forehead before addressing her companions. Looking around as she did so she eventually she came to a decision.

"You're right!" she repeated. "We're superhero's. There should be a superhero way of doing this"  
Butch blinked and shrugged. "Who's a superhero, I just wanna GET somewhere here"  
"Same principal applies!" Blossom looked to Bubbles, plans formulating behind her pink steady eyes.  
Butch is like Buttercup she thought, his main power is his strength, but Bubbles.  
"Bubbles, can you talk to these insects yet"  
"HAAIII!" the girl replied, before blanching noticeably. "um." She rapidly dropped to stand on the ground, rubbing her toe in the dirt.  
"You're not expecting me to try and reason with them are you"  
"Wait what?" Butch repeated, putting a hand on the blonds shoulder. "You can what?"

Bubbles shivered, and Blossom landed, holding her sisters other shoulder.  
"I get the insects are probably barbarous and dum, but all we need is to attract a certain type of insect"  
Butch blinked, looking from the red head to blond and back again as though watching a tennis match. His patience finally broke.  
"Do you mean to honestly tell me your sister can talk with these monsters?" HE asked Blossom pointedly, only to receive a nod.  
"I know most of their sounds." Bubbles clarified, "But they don't talk like real animals. It's just emotion and stuff"  
"But you could call a specific creature if you wanted to?" Blossom queried.  
Bubbles nodded her reply reluctantly and her sister went back into thought.

Butch took the opportunity to quiz the most immature puff while Blossom was thinking, idly watching the moth that still fluttered above their heads.  
Sounds creaked inside the forest as the spoke.  
"You really can"  
"Yeah." She confirmed, "It's my special power"  
"Special, why don't you're. This is just too weird. You can really talk to any animal"  
The girl nodded, "And some peoples languages too. I can read and write in French, Japanese and German, and I can speak Mexican, Jamaican and 15 different animal languages. It's because I talk to animals and like colouring in and playing with dolls that everybody thinks I'm just a baby though"  
"Well, yeah." Butch mumbled, "But you know that I don't think you're a baby, right"  
"You used to." Bubbles insisted.  
Butch nodded again. He knew it was true and neither had the brains nor the courage to outright deny it.  
"Well, yeah." He conceded, "Okay I did. But I don't now. Not since you talked to me about family and stuff cause that sounded like sense and was real mature like. Plus it was a lot like what I think sometimes, with Boomer and Brick at each other all the time"  
"Yeah well √"

"I've got it!" Bubbles interrupted.  
Turning to her companions, she grinned at them spectacularly. "What we need to do is clear a path and the best way to do that is to use one of the larger insects to do it"  
A question formed itself of Butch's lips, asking it's self without him intending to.  
"How on earth does that involve beating up monsters"  
"Oh, the insect will be much bigger than us we'll have to beat it into submission first"  
Bubbles laughed quietly at Butch's confused and slightly embarrassed expression. Lifting back off the ground she put her hands behind her back and beamed at her sister before responding.  
"Alright!" She told Blossom. "What insect would you like"  
"How about an Ant?"


	15. Chapter 5 Page 2

PAGE 2

Blossom watched her sister float into the air, higher and higher till she was amongst the tops of the trees. The moth that had been bothering the girls fluttered around Bubbles in confused circles like some kind of cheep arcade game force shield. Butch laughed at the irony of it having played more than his fair share of cheep games in the past.

Neither child on the ground could hear Bubbles ant call but they heard the many other insects start stirring around them in the underbrush.  
"If anything comes out!" Blossom told Butch as they watched the foliage, "blast it cause it'll probably attack Bubs"  
"I am sooo all over that!" Butch sneered back, "No nuthin is gonna hurt her"  
Blossom blinked, staring at the back of Butch's head in mild shock, then allowed herself to focus back on the possible threats. 

Butch's laser vision went off several times, as did Blossom's as Bubbles floated back to ground level.  
"It's coming." She said simply.  
"Welcome back." The others replied in unison. Bubbles smiled again automatically.  
Then Blossom remembered something.  
"Guys," she said in a monotone. "I have reason to think we can get hurt easier since we came to this city"  
"We know." Bubbles and Butch replied.  
"Then be careful. Ants are naturally tough and well armed"  
"And this one will be one of those big red meat eaters too." Bubbles confirmed. She was shaking slightly, but in her head her mantra was keeping her safe.  
I can do this She thought. I'm hard core!

The ant broke into the clearing behind some trees, its large bulk ripping and pushing down the plants like tiny twigs.  
Bubbles was the first one on it.  
Butch second.  
Blossom third.

The ant was strong, easily mave the height of the large forest tree. Swinging it's body and snapping at the air with it's mandibles, Bubbles was immediately thrown to the ground by it's massive bulk.  
"Damnit!" Bubbles cursed, "We beat one of these before. I wish I had my glasses"  
A moment later Butch crashed into the ground beside her, hitting with enough force to make a small crater.  
"You used to wear glasses?" Butch asked the blond as he clawed his way out of his hole.  
"Only for a day; Daddy said I needed them cause my vision was failing, although I never noticed, so he gave me these glasses that made me look like a giant own which was kinda cute but Buttercup and Blossom kept picking on me. In the end Buttercup used her laser vision to fix my eyes so I dont need them now"  
Blossom impacted with the ground on the other side of Bubbles, and grunted as she got to her feet.  
Butch looked and her and shrugged, "You feel it to right," Butch commented to the red-head, "This thing's strong enough to really hurt us"  
"It's not as strong as we feel it is," She grumbled in reply, "Although I agree. I wish we had Bubbles glasses."

"I would have never thought you for a nerd Bubs." Butch sneered, as he attacked the ant a second time, circling around it to cut off its escape.  
Bubbles chased after him automatically. "I'M NOT A NERD!" She screeched at him, "I HATED THOSE GLASSES"  
"Then why do you wish you had them no"  
"Cause they made my heat vision 20 times stronger"  
Blossom followed into the attack, talking as she did. "We don't want that anyhow, we want her alive"  
"Her?" Bubbles and Butch replied at the same time.  
"Yes her. This little ant will be our personal pet monster"  
"Oh, I get it!" Bubbles replied as Butch picked up a fallen tree, smacking the insect with it. Its front knees buckled and it shook it's mandibles at its opponents.  
"Beat it back this way"  
"I'll beat it however I want to beat it!"

"Butch, do as Blossom says, I think she plans to ride it like a bull"  
Butch blanched, and stopped swinging the tree. Staring at Blossom he watched he make two attempts at grabbing the now frantic insect. His mouth dropped open.  
"You gotta be kidding me? There's no way you can do that. This is NOT a job for a - ", Bubbles slapped Butch across the back of the head and he performed a double take.  
"She should do it!" He declared at the speed of light. Bonking the ant on the head one final time, he pushed Bubbles towards the giant creature before she could react.  
Blossom screached at Butch in anger but face to face with the ant Bubbles was too suprised to panic.

The creature was dazed but its mandibles were literally on either side of her head. Looking at it face on, all noise around Bubbles appeared to fade away. The voices of her sister, Butch, even the other insects in the forest all went quiet. One of the trees that had been damaged earlier collapsed to the ground but she couldn't hear it. What she heard instead was a sound that filled her mind. It was low, too low for anybody to hear and vibrated through her body at some unknown level and for a moment she felt the creature's voice. So tiny and meek it hardly existed on its own and she understood. Ants needed each other to make their voices bigger.  
She stepped back and opened her mouth, responding in the same deep and quiet voice, looking all for the world as though she just hung in the air with her mouth open.  
"I don't want to hurt you." She intoned, "I want to be family. We are strong together but we are smaller than you. Hear my voice and join me and my sisters"  
The ant's eyes cleared and it stepped forwards.

"It's going to attack her"  
"NO DONT DO IT HE'S GOOD, HE'S GOOD!" Bubbles barely managed to catch the tree before Butch could use it to club the and yet again, throwing it and Butch aside.  
"He's not bad!" She insisted as it rubbed its head against her body, pushing her through the air. Butch and Blossom stared openly.  
"I heard his voice." She explained as she pet the monster, trying not to be forced into the ground. "He's really, really small inside and really, really nice"  
"You heard his Voice"  
"Yeah!"

Moving slowly Butch and Blossom inched towards the monster as Bubbles changed position and hugged the creature's neck.  
"You're sure it's safe?" Blossom insisted.  
"Yep"  
"But it's a monster"  
"Nope"  
"What do you mean nope?" Butch interjected, it's clearly a monster"  
"Nope, it's just a giant bug. The only thing monster about it is its looks"  
Blossom inched in closer and reached out a hand, petting the ant gingerly. "And it's not going to hold a grudge"  
"It's not that smart. It thinks I'm its sister and it'll trust me from now on"  
Blossom nodded her understanding, "Then we should probably get moving, gather up some of these fallen trees. They may come in handy as weapons."

"Hai!" Bubbles steered her ant to obey as Blossom herself moved to gather the fallen trees.  
"That's odd?" she commented, staring at one of the trunks. "Bubbles, take a look at this"  
Leaping down from her pet and telling it to stay put she followed Blossom's gaze.  
"I remember now." she said becoming solemn, "This is what I was trying to explain earlier on"  
Butch's gaze moved between girls and tree in graceful motions. Finally he cracked.  
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU LOOKING AT?" He insisted.

"The inside of a tree is layered in circles," Blossom explained without moving, her eyes riveted to the tree. "As the tree grows bigger with each year another circle is added. The width of the circles tell people how good the year was and the number how old the tree is"  
"So?" Butch rolled his eyes.  
"So the inside of this tree is all straight lines. It's as though the thing was cut out of a plank of wood and shaped into a tree. It just doesn't make sense"  
Butch blinked his eyes again. "So?" he insisted again, "does this change anything"  
"Probably not!" Bubbles grinned at the Brunette and Blossom turned on them as though she'd been slapped.

"Are you kidding? We have empty buildings, a volcano that's been dead for so long it's gone completely cold and now trees that aren't trees?" Blossom's hands started waving around the air in time to her sentences.  
"This is probably a major clue to what happened to this place and where we are! We just don't know what it means yet"  
Butch nodded taking this in then dragged out his next word as long as he could. "So... in other words it doesn't mean anything 'at this moment?'" Butch clarified.  
Floating over to the nearest tree Blossom began hitting her head against it; creating enough force to make the fake branches rattle in their sockets. "It's like talking to children!" She muttered to herself, forgetting she was only eight herself. "Neither of them has the urge to solve anything." she grumbled to herself silently before turning around and composing herself.  
"I guess your right for now. Let's get a move on."

"Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!" The laughter echoed around the clearing earily, bouncing off the wooden trees in odd ways. "I have to say I never expected that to happen. Although I'm grad you're figuring out some of what's going on finally"  
Clustering around the giant ant - Blossom, Bubbles and Butch immediately took ready stances. Bubbles whispered quietly to the creature to be cautious, before talking to her sibling. "That voice sounds very familia"  
"No kidding." Butch groaned, "It sounds like the girl right next to us"  
Bubbles eyes narrowed in anger and pointed themselves at Butch determinedly. "What does that mean?" She asked coldly.  
"Bubbles, Let it drop"  
Bubbles sighed, "But Blossom?"

"Let it drop"  
"Yeah, Let it Drop!" The strange voice echoed around them. "You should listen to your sister. And therefore you should listen to me too"  
"Why should we listen to you"  
"Yeah Who are you?" Bubbles insisted squeakily.  
"And how long have you been watching us"  
"A few hour!" finally the voices centred. Following the change in sound Blossom, Bubbles and Butch stared as a second Blossom emerged from the branches.  
"And you're going the wrong way you know?"


	16. Chapter 5 Page 3

PAGE 3

It took a little while for everybody to recover from the shock. Butch simply looked from red head to red head dumbfounded.  
"Double the Red?" He said in confusion, "This can't be a good thing"  
Blossom tapped het foot. "Who are you and what have you done to "  
"Um Blossom?" Butch enquired. "How do we know you're the Blossom and she's not. The two of you look identical"  
Bubbles slapped the boy accross the back of the head in a casual manner. "No they dont!" Bubbles replied.  
"Thank you bubbles"  
"Blossom's hair is messier cause of sleeping on the ground, and she stinks a little from not having had a bath"  
This time it was Blossom's turn to give a nasty look.  
"Um Bubbles, why do you keep slapping me"  
"You boys are hitting each other all the time. I thought it might make us feel more like family and I meant that in a nice way Blossy"  
"oh"  
Bubbles noticed her sister's look first and smiled sheepishly, then noticed Butch's downcast expression. Her sheepish smile turned into a look of confusion.

"Eh Hmm" Blossom replied before looking at her duplicate.  
"Well"  
"I am exactly who I look like." Blossom replied from the treetops. "And I'm only here to help you believe it or not"  
"Yeah right. We've seen no other life since the moment we appeared in this place. That means you're probably the one who sent us here"  
"Such limited imagination. I mean if I hadn't tricked Butch into moving over to Mitch's caravan you never would have found the human"  
"Ah huh!" Blossom interjected, "You called him human, which suggests your not"  
"ooh, alien!" Butch mumbled.  
"Close but try again."

"ooh, ooh, pick me!" Blossom groaned at Bubbles.  
"This isn't a test silly. This imposter transported us here and has been watching us the whole time"  
"Well, actually I only found you guys this morning." The duplicate responded. "You should see what's happened to the real city. Somebody had to find you three. And it's been a pain getting your two groups to get together again"  
"Two groups"  
"Don't listen to her Bubbles. She's just trying to confuse us." Blossom waved back to her sister. "Look, are you going to actually fight us or can we go our own way now"  
The duplicate sighed and shook her head. "Look. I've been trying all day to get out of here myself. But unless you six escape too there's absolutely no point. If you REALLY must go this way I can't stop you but you'll fell sorry later"  
Blossom vanished with a hum of interference, leaving the three on the ground looking at their Blossom nervously.

"Um. Let get going"  
"Hee-ya!" Bubbles replied, turning the ant around as Butch and Blossom gathered up a few trees.  
"Do you think there's any truth to what the other you said?" Bubbles asked idly as they proceeded to smash their way uphill.  
"I doubt it." Blossom mused, thinking over what they'd just seen.  
"Brick would have just beat the truth out of her." Butch mumbled, earning more confused looks from Bubbles. The tapped the back of the ant indicating the boy should ride with her only to have him ignore her and continue floating along side.  
"If we see her again I may just let you do that."

The three traveled in relative silence, Bubbles silently chittering to the ant.  
"Ritchie says you should ride with us too Butch!" Bubbles called out all of a sudden.  
"Who says what"  
"Ritchie, the ant. He's okay with you riding on him. And none of the other insects are bothering us with this guy hanging around"  
"Yeah!" Butch replied, "I don't get that. I mean he's not exactly the biggest monster we've met here. Why would they be avoiding us"  
"I've been wondering the same." Blossom muttered. "Plus, if we're heading towards the monster island portal then the trees shouldn't be anywhere near this thick"  
Butch and Bubbles blinked, "Huh"  
"Monsters walk the path from the portal to the city all the time." Blossom replied.  
"We should have crossed the path they made down to the city by now. While that might be why there aren't any insects in this area, it doesn't fit with the thickness of this forest."

Butch blinked again.  
"Notherwords," Bubbles explained, "If a monster came this way within the last fifty years there would be trampled and knocked over trees underneath us"  
"Oh I get it." Butch replied after a moment thought. "You're tryin' to figure out what happened to us again"  
"Ex-actly." Blossom groaned, "It's kinda important"  
"Well, I don't know about that"  
"Oh for pete sake Butch. If we don't know where we are or how we got here then how are we going to get home"  
"Now that we know there's a fake you who's in the know. I say we should be tracking her so we can beat the information out of her"  
"I agree with Butch." Bubbles chimed in, catching both of the others by surprise.

"Bubbly," Blossom muttered, floating ahead of her sister in shock. Butch floated down and landed on the ant's back, balancing by holding the girls shoulders.  
"Two against one red"  
"Will you stop calling me red?" Blossom demanded.  
"Why"  
"Aaarg. You two give me a headache. Bubbles, why in the world would you want to follow this - "Blossom hesitated, "This Bully!" She demanded finally. Butch wasn't even fazed by the comment.  
Bubbles stared into space for a while as she collected her thoughts. Blossom had seen this before also and was surprised to see the girl doing so now. I keep forgetting. She thought to herself as Bubbles put together her argument. She may be the most childish of us but she watches. She watches everything and has a habit of surprising us when we least expect it.

"When we first arrived there was this voice quietly singing and I started singing along with it, then I woke up and found myself in the city. And you were gone and I figured we must have landed in different parts of the city." Bubbles blinked.  
"So I started looking for you only I found Butch instead, but then you found us later which meant I was right and we had be thrown across the city. Probably from the explosion, which means Buttercup, Brick and Boomer must have landed elsewhere in the city"  
Butch stared at Bubbles from behind her, a look of awe and respect entering his eyes.  
"Then last night when we were going to bed I thought I saw you hovering in the sky after Butch left but then you vanished and I saw you near the building so I though It might have been a dream"  
"Woah woah!" Blossom interrupted. "That must have been the impostor"  
"That what I mean!" Bubbles interrupted, reining the ant to a stop. "I didn't know it then but that had to be her. So what she said about her arriving then could be true."

"okay," Blossom nodded. "So that backs up her story. What else"  
"Well, after that I went and danced with octi, and he said that the you and the other Blossom were good friends and not to worry about her"  
Butch frowned and made to speak only to have Blossom wave him into silence.  
"And after that him and I floated into the air and he told me that we weren't seeing the city properly. And I just realized we're not. Travelling at ground level like this we cant see the whole city. We have no idea where the other have landed or what the overall changes are to the city. We've only been through like a quarter of it so we have no idea if there's anybody in the south of the city"  
Blossom nodded again, going over Bubbles words and separating the nonsense from the facts. Grudgingly she admitted the blonds point before noticing the look on Butch's face. She put that aside in her mind for later.

"So you think we should turn around?" Blossom asked,  
"Yes. You said yourself with the forest looking like this and clearly being man made the portal to Monster Island probably isn't there. We should head back to Mitch's and re-think how we're going to do this"  
"There's still some merit to checking if the portals there." Blossom replied. "Even if it's out of use there will be proof of whether it was there at all. If it's not then it only backs up the idea that this whole city is fake"  
"I'll do it!" Butch interjected.

"What?" Bubbles turned in her seat to face the ruff, her eyes changing through a series of expressions as her mind changed gears.  
"One of us can move much faster than three, plus if I move fast then I should hopefully not only get there but get to beat up some monsters. I've been itching for something to beat on ever since I teamed with you girls"  
"But?" Bubbles interjected.  
"Don't worry." He replied, "I'll be okay. Just make sure you find us something to eat before I get back, kay Bubs?"

It took a moment for Bubbles to respond but she nodded her reply, followed shortly but a nod from Blossom.  
"Alright! See you girls at the caravan." Butch saluted, leaving the girls to turn their group around and head away from him, back to the caravan city.  
Flying high and fast it wasn't long before Butch was required to hit something with his tree. He didn't doubt from what Bubbles had said that most of the insects 'attacking' him weren't dangerous, but neither were the people he and Brick used to pick on mere days ago when the city was populated. It still helped him take out his frustrations on anything that came too close.

After an hours flight Butch was still looking for the portal until he realised there was something wrong. At the speed he was travelling he hit the object without even realising and fell to the ground beneath with a dazed expression on his face. Smooth, wide and undeniable, it was coloured a cool blue and smelled faintly of paint. Examining it carefully Butch attempting first to bash a hole in it and then to cut through it with his laser vision, both to no success.  
"This is way too strange." He muttered as he walked along its length, running a hand across the smooth surface. "Does it go "  
Butch shook his head in futility. "This is something for Red to think over. It'll probably make her day when I tell her!"

And with that he turned towards the setting sun.


	17. Chapter 5 Page 4

PAGE 4 Some distance away Blossom and Bubbles were making good time. Blossom few in the air keeping eye on her air head sister who was now talking animatedly with her new insect friend.  
Bubbles had completely forgotten that there was any danger around them but Blossom was wary, all too aware that her duplicate was the biggest wildcard in the scene right now.

"Thinking of me?" Blossom pivoted in mid-air to face herself - still following Bubbles and looking around for any advantages or immediate threat.  
Her duplicate followed Blossom's movements but did not actively advance.  
Their eyes met and sparks almost physically jumped between the pair from the tension filling the air right up until Blossom's double sighed, putting the girl off centre. She raised her guard to defend only to have her double back off.

"I'm not here to hurt you." She insisted, "I told you that earlier so if you want to set your smelly goon on me this time I'll understand"  
"Butch isn't here." Blossom replied cautiously, putting distance between the two of them. Below them Bubbles was moving through the forest unhindered - the giant ant scaring away any serious danger at ground level.  
"What are you here for if not to cause trouble"  
"Well." Blossom and Blossom watched each other warily but the impostor's body language was showing no sign of aggression. "I'm kinda trapped here too." She continued - circling her foot in mid air and placing her hands behind her back, "So I need your help to get out."

"See, I knew you -" Blossom blinked, making an almost audible 'zoink' sound as she nearly fell out of the air. "You what"  
"Look. I came in here to find you girls and well... Now I can't get out either. I can't even phase shift out of here. I've been "  
"EEEEEK"  
"Bubbles"  
"Betty!"

Both girls spoke and moved in unison, crossing the distance to catch up with the blond girl as quickly as possible. They burst out into the clearing above Bubbles to find her rolling on the ground with Butch and both girls scratched their heads in response.  
"Geeze Bubs!" Butch commented and he pried himself off and into a standing position. "For somebody who squeals at the first sign of danger you sure can tackle people." Taking stock of minor bruises and brushing him self off, he looked up at the two Blossoms.  
"Your sis packs a - " Butch closed his eyes then opened them again very slowly.  
"Aww great!" He declared, "Now I don't know which ass to kick!"

Looking at who Butch was talking to she took the lead - charging at one of the Blossoms just to have her vanish and re-appear several feet away.  
The real Blossom caught her sister in mid air by the scruff of the neck and pulled the girl in front of her.  
"Not yet!" She instructed, shaking her head at the girl, "I still have questions for her"  
"Aww"  
"Enough, Butch. The impostor said some very interesting things to me a moment ago"  
Both Blossoms' blinked.  
"Um, no I didn't"  
"Sure you did."

"Um..." Moving her hand to her wrist, Blossom caught it and stared at the impostors watch. "I'm guessing that's how you teleport then"  
"Um, Phase shift actually." Was the nervous reply. Blossom held the impostors hand and was surprised at just how week the girl was.  
"And who's Betty"  
"Who?" Butch interjected. Bubbles bloated over to the girls and stood guard behind her.  
"Um Look"  
"There's no getting out of it red!" Blossom demanded to her duplicate. Bubbles stared at her real sister in confusion and Butch snickered. "I want to know who you are. You said you're trapped in here to so fess up? What's the real story here?"

The new Blossom sighed and moved her hand away from her wrist, giving in to a point.  
"Look. Professor Micronium sent us to your world to retrieve something!" She said "Wait a second, Micronium"  
"That's right. You've met me before under different circumstances"  
"I know I haven't"  
"Micro..." Blossom mused, "oh No. You're MicroBlossom. From that comic we did once"  
"Who"  
"Oh you weren't in the comics Butch." Bubbles interrupted, "We did a bunch of comics once and in one of them we met a group of mini us's and went on this adventure with them. My one was mean though"  
"They were all rather nasty!" Blossom finished, "Although if you're MicroBlossom then why are you the same size as us?"

"I'm not. Now can we get moving again?! We'll attract trouble hanging around this close to the forest"  
"Bring them on"  
Bubbles looked at Butch with exasperation and Blossom outright ignored him.  
"Alright then 'MicroBlossom' we'll keep heading towards the caravans but your going to stay where we can see you and you're going to explain everything you can"  
"You know I can't do that"  
"You'll explain!" Butch insisted only to be reigned in by Blossom again.  
"He's right!" She confirmed, "I don't care what your reasons are. If we're all trapped here together then you MUST tell us what you know. You have no reason not to and Butch as a reason to WANT to. And the first thing you should explain is why we're all the same size."

Gathered Back around the ant, Bubbles and Butch mounted it with Butch riding behind the blond, hands around the girl's waist.  
"For balance." He explained when faced with Bubbles knowing smile.  
"I bet I know why we're the same size!" Bubbles affirmed to her sister. "It's because we've been shrunk. That would explain why everything is so fake"  
Butch nodded, "I can agree with that. I didn't find that portal we were looking for but from what I can see there's this giant wall or bubble," Bubbles grinned at the word, "surrounding the whole city"  
MicroBlossom nodded. "Well, that's part of it, sort of." She confessed, "We have all been shrunk - myself included, although I just scaled myself to your sizes so I wouldn't have to feel so jealous this time."

Looking around them, Blossom identified the caravan city that housed Mitch's home. The sun had set now and the night sky sparkled above them. Dots of light that were probably just pinpricks or little light's set into the roof of the dome twinkled inanely and over the still night air voices started to carry to their ears.  
"Sounds like Mitch is back home." Butch commented, "Probably didn't go far"  
"Actually he went clear across the city!" MicroBlossom commented. "I carried him there myself or he wouldn't have got there in time"  
"Got where in time?"

"Oh for Pete sake Brick, I wanna play catch with him too but not at the expense of Mitch's life"  
Blossom, Bubbles and Butch all blinked at the voice and seemingly disappeared - racing each other to the caravan.  
In a-typical formation, they burst through the roof of the caravan come condominium at stared at their long lost siblings.  
MicroBlossom grinned and climbed aboard the ant, steering it towards the caravans and allowing it to eat the other buildings before following the girls inside at a much tidier pace.

There was much hugging between the girls.  
Brick just slapped each of the boys on the back and congratulated them on being a team again.  
Mitch brought out food and everybody ate peacefully. At least the did until everybody suddenly realised the company they were keeping! 


	18. Chapter 6 Page 1

Soliliqoi page 1

Looking down on the Caravan from above the screams and yells seamed to echo around the entire park.  
"Guys, this is too tight a space to fight in"  
The caravan shook with a large thump and groaned.  
"Butch, Stop them please"  
"Nobody can stop Brick I'll have you know." came the calm response.  
The caravan shook again and rolled over onto its side, causing even more yells and shouts from its occupants.  
A window on the side of the caravan popped open and three heads popped out through it one after each other. The first out was a blond girl with ponytails, the second blond yet again, this time a short haired boy. As they leaped out the way a brunette girl appeared behind them covering her hears against the din from inside the metal box.

"Get back here you arrogant little!" The caravan shook again with Blossom's yell and MicroBlossom appeared outside the caravan; depositing the only human from the group on the ground.  
"Guys?" Butch tried desperately to negotiate, "This argument is plain stupid"  
"WHAT!" A large dent appeared in the side of the caravan as both red-heads hit the dark haired boy at the same time. A second later a hole appeared in the wall and Butch was suddenly outside.  
"Of all the pathetic things to argue about!" Buttercup complained, "The way their acting NEITHER of them deserve to be in charge"  
Butch sighed and moved his legs into a sitting position while still floating in mid air. He nodded then sighed again.

Boomer sidled over to Blossom as the Caravan flipped itself upside-down.  
"Who do you think will win?" he asked, curious.  
"Oh, Probably Blossom. She's very good at not giving up"  
MicroBlossom looked at the exchange as everybody sat down to watch the show. After some moments Brick also came flying out the caravan through a newly made hole in the wall where he was luckily and expertly plucked from of mid air by his blond haired brother. The blond held his brother and took stock of the boy's injuries. They were intense; his arm was broken again in the same place and his body was covered with scratches and bruises. His left eye was puffed up so much that it looked closed and as Boomer settled the boy to the ground he even considered the possibility that Brick had sustained internal injuries.  
Boomer growled in the back of his throat and stood up, stalking towards the trailer with murder in his eyes.  
Blossom crawled out from the hole in the wall and collapsed to the ground, drawing her sisters.

"Oh God. Blossom. What did he do to you"  
"Aw drop it Bubbles." Buttercup sneered, "They did this to each other. For Pete sake, only Blossom could turn a battle for a bowl of pork balls into a battle for leadership"  
"But Buttercup, she's hurt. Baaad"  
"Stop crying. They deserve this"  
Butch floated over and slapped Buttercup across the back of the head in one smooth movement. The shock made her forget about flying and she dropped to the ground like some air-born fishing weight.  
Looking up at Butch she squinted at him but Butch's closed eyes and smug smile stopped him from seeing her expression.

"I'm going to pretend you didn't do that." She said at last, "Cause right now there are more important things "  
All six puffs and ruffs fell silent.

Helping Blossom to her feet Bubbles looked around.  
"Did you hear that?" Boomer and Buttercup nodded to each other. Pulsing from existence and re-appearing on the other side of the girls MicroBlossom waved around a large device with a pair of rods sticking out the top in a T shape. Boomer quickly moved to pick up his brother and as a group, the issue of leadership currently forgotten, they started moving towards the main buildings.

Butch looked around nervously as they moved, carrying Mitch underneath him.  
"What did you guys hear?" He whispered, only to be hushed.  
"But I didn't hear anything"  
Buttercup twitched and unspoken everybody followed Bubbles to a higher altitude. The sun had set. That probably explained the lack of insects. Only certain types came out during the night.  
Everybody whispered in spite of themselves. "This is bad"  
"Look up guys!" Butch, Buttercup and Blossom did as ordered, and gasped.  
"What. What's happening"  
"This way." MicroBlossom floated ahead of the group. "I've got some gear stashed up here I threw together from scraps."

"You need to tell us what you know MB." Butch added, floating in through a hole in a wall and depositing his brother.  
"Later. Right now we need to prepare ourselves"  
"Yeah right." Blossom mumbled in response, being lowered to the ground as Bubbles landed. She blond stroked her sister's forehead affectionately. Her eyes showed tears in the corner of them and her hands shook as she moved but her mouth was set. She talked to herself out loud, fear coating her voice and turning it to a tiny squeak.  
"Whatever is happening here, it must be bad for Brick and Blossom to be able to get hurt like this"  
"It's all of us Bubs." Boomer replied. Bubbles felt the boys hand on her shoulder but didn't pull away. Behind her Butch glared, then walked over and knelt by the trio as Buttercup followed MicroBlossom into her makeshift home.  
"You can heal these two can you Boomer?" he asked in a grumble.

Bubbles sat there waiting for somebody to speak. Her upper lip was loosing its battle and threatening to wobble from the emotion inside her. Eventually Boomer replied.  
"I have no idea." He admitted. "I don't have any bandages or needles or anything. I mean, I don't even know how what I do works, let alone how to do it without those things"  
Boomer stood and went to look at his brother again. Brick had passed out and was in even worse shape then he'd been moments before.  
The skin around the broken arm was now turning black, a dark patch growing around it. On top of that, many of the bruises on Brick's stomach seamed to be growing in shape as well. He had definitely started bleeding internally and that was never going to be a good thing. The boy collapsed to the ground and placed his head on his brother's stomach, listening at Butch tried to comfort a now crying Bubbles.

Mitch approached.  
Boomer didn't flinch when the human boy wrapped his arms around the blond. Mitch squeezed the boy tightly and for the briefest of moments, Boomer himself felt like letting it all out. Crying and bawling exactly like the girl across from him was doing.  
"They'll be okay." Mitch mumbled. "You can do it."

"Do what"  
"Whatever it is you do." He confirmed, "You said you can heal them somehow. Whatever it is you do, you can do it." Mitch affirmed.  
Boomer sighed. He closed his eyes.  
And quietly began to hum. 


	19. Chapter 6 Page 2

Soliliqoi Page 2

As MicroBlossom moved into the building Buttercup followed quietly. She knew full well MicroBlossom was aware of her, after all she wasn't hiding. Even so, Buttercup was starting to feel as though her presence was almost unnecessary.  
"I'm not gonna leave you alone." Buttercup spoke up. MicroBlossom glanced at buttercup then turned back to the junk lined up against the wall. Filtering through the junk she digs out a radio and proceeds to pull it apart.  
"Listen Micro "  
"It's not Micro-anything." Buttercup blinked at the interruption.  
"It's Belinda. In MY world I'm called Belinda."

Buttercup blinked and just stood there processing the information. After a moment Belinda sighed and began explaining.  
"Look. I would normally tell this to your sister, but to be honest I'm not even supposed to interact with the people of this world"  
"This world"  
"Yes." She groaned and started working on transplanting the radio components into a new device. "We're Dimensional explorers. We travel between worlds looking for anything that might be useful. New inventions, new ideas, plants, etc. Then we take them back to our world and use them to better our society"  
Again Buttercup remained silent, before muttering; "This is really a Blossom conversation"  
"No kidding. Is your sister always like that"  
"Yes and no. Challenge her in any way and she'll give you hell. But she has a sore spot regarding Brick cause of the time the boys tore her dress."

The radio fizzled as Belinda tested the circuitry, then popped and went dead, earning a curse from the girl.  
"Your sister would go berserk over a torn dress?" She replied as Buttercup walked over.  
"Brick tore it completely off. Shredded! Blossom was left floating there in just her undies, hundreds of people watching"  
"Aaah, that would do it"  
"No kidding. Some part of me used to think they liked each other a little but after that she just wants to beat the living crap out of him"  
Belinda turned on the device again and it popped, blowing another circuit.  
"God Damn it! Why do all the part I need have to be the parts that are blown?" She cursed out loud.

Buttercup stared, visibly trying to build up momentum.  
"Now look here," She declared, "You still haven't given us any straight answers. What just happened to all the insects? The city is completely quiet out there. It's like the whole city just emptied of all life except us. It this is a model then there's no way anything could do that so quickly.  
"Unless there's a hole in the cover"  
"Exactly unless..." Buttercup performed a double take then flew over to Blossom's double and slapped the girl on the back.  
"That's Excellent!" She declared as Belinda's machine almost flew off the table. "And I bet that device of yours is so we can find that hole and get out.

Belinda pushed Buttercup away and grabbed her machine - Trying to ignore the brunette. "If we did that we'd die doufus"  
"What"  
"Look, just go check on your sister and let me work"  
"Hey, don't push me"  
Belinda whirled and for a second Buttercup felt herself cringe subconsciously. "Hey, now need to "  
"If you want to get out of town alive then let me work"  
"Um"  
"Now"  
"Okay, Okay, geese!!"

Buttercup shook her head as she left, muttering to her self quietly. The scene she returned to was only mildly better than it had been. Boomer knelt over his brother. Both Boomer and Butch were now completely topless and every scrap of cloth that wouldn't make the wearers naked had been turned into bandages. Boomer hummed as he worked at wrapping Blossom's arm and hummed to himself tunelessly, the sound seemingly carrying through the room.  
"Great." Buttercup muttered, "At this rate either I'm goin to be leader, or that Bel-inda will try to take control"  
Buttercup grunted and took stock of everybody in the room. Mitch was sitting over by the hole in the damaged masonry and using a blade to cut swear words into the woodwork. Looking back to Boomer Buttercup smiled in spite of herself. Even though the boy was working steadily he would occasionally look at Mitch nervously Buttercup took the stage, only to have Belinda breeze past her into the room wielding a large machine that was beeping like a heart monitor on a cardiac arrest.

"Oy!" Buttercup yelled out.  
"We have to get everybody out of here"  
Everybody blinked at the intrusion and Belinda started making shooing motions.  
"Look. Something is coming. Something nobody here is equipped to fight yet. We need to move these two and get to safety"  
Blossom propped herself into a sitting position, moaning in pain. "What's coming"  
"We don't have time!" Belinda gestured more dramatically as the machine started to squeal.  
"You haven't!"

"ENOUGH!" Buttercup's words burst through room like a typhoon wiping even Boomers healing effect from memory.  
"This is not a time to argue command. If Belinda here "  
"Who"  
"Belinda, that's your doubles real name." She continued as though Blossom hadn't spoken, "And if she says something's coming we should at least move before arguing the why"  
Blossom stared at Buttercup only to start objecting very vocally as Bubbles lifter her into the air. Boomer picked up Brick and Mitch wandered over. With a sigh, Buttercup hoisted the human boy who was grumbling quietly to himself.  
"Cant believe I - grumble grumble probably ruined everything. grumble I'll Never"  
The 8 left through the hole in the wall and crossed the city, flying above the buildings. All of the insects did appear to have vanished and this, more than anything, was what made everybody nervous.  
Behind them, the building the girls had been roosting in started to crumble as black and blue shadows began spreading throughout the structure. It made no noise as the sections disappeared in large chunks.

The girls set down quite a distance from the building they had been in, Buttercup and Mitch whispering to each other as they flew. By the time they arrived Brick had woke up again and, while in pain, was actually doing much better thanks to Boomer's continual humming. He set his brother down gently - ignoring the boys indignant looks. Bubbles also ignored her sister who, while not as badly injured, was feeling well and truly ashamed.  
The blonds stood over the rebellious red-heads and crossed their arms, talking in turns.  
"Why on earth did you go so overboard for a pork ball?" Boomer demanded,  
"I know he embarrassed you in the past but what you did now was mean"  
"We need solid leadership"  
"Yes. Readership."

Boomer placed a hand on Bubbles shoulder and she corrected the word.  
"Blossom. I don't like seeing you get hurt"  
"Neither do..." Boomer hesitated, "Neither I you Brick!" He said determinedly.  
"And we gets boo boo's really easy at the moment"  
"So we." Boomer grated to a halt in the middle of his sentence. "Boo Boo. You call this a boo boo?" He asked Bubbles, completely off-guard.  
"Yeah, what would you call it?"

Boomer just shook his head as everybody else took seats around them. He point blank ignored Bricks stares and Butches chuckles. Mitch half heartedly laughed at the scene.  
"Girl." Brick jibed his blond haired brother.  
"Mother, more like!" Butch sneered over top of Brick.  
"Right now, leaders or not we still need to know everything this Belinda girl knows"  
Blossom Nodded.  
Mitch was still laughing his road-runner laugh but stopped suddenly with a sheepish grin as Buttercup started relaying what Belinda had said earlier.

Six sets of heads nodded one after each other as Belinda's presence was explained.  
"So you and Betty are the Power puffs from your world?" Blossom interrupted eventually.  
"Me, Betty and Bianca." She confirmed, "But no. In our world we're normal little girls. Born not made. The way we look and the size we became in this world is a result of the dimensional transfer"  
"Where are you're sisters?" Bubbles asked, giving the red-head a side-long glance.  
"That stupid Monkey man thought we were you and attacked us. Betty and Bianca were hurt and transferred back. Then I came down here to get you back"  
Heads started nodding again and Belinda started examining her device. Blossom tried to crawl over to look at it.  
"That's from you're world?" She queried, "Some kind of life form sensor"  
"Something likes that. And no, I made it out of parts in the rubbish."

The awe in Blossom's eyes was almost physically tangible as those words sunk in.  
"You can take scrap material from a foreign world and build a life detector from scratch"  
"We all can." Belinda replied with a blush. "That why myself and my sisters were chosen. We're the smartest children they were able to locate. We need to be to make sense of things like that monkey's machine and the Chemical Z you girls were created with. Not that that was any use when we stole it last time"  
Buttercup was on her feet and had Belinda suspended in the air before anybody could react.  
"You stole from us!?"

"Um, Sort of... The Chemical X was useless in our world though." Belinda replied shyly. "Well. Until some Japanese guy blended it with something and made something called Chemical Z... But we're still not sure just what that's capable of, other then creating monsters and giving schoolgirls super powers"  
Six sets of eyes blinked one final time and Buttercup slowly lowered Blossom's double to the ground.  
"Okay. So you come here and steel technology to use at home. Care to tell us what you were steeling this time"  
"Is it really important"  
"Probably"  
Belinda sighed. "The graviton generator that's allowing this entire model city to be no bigger than the size of a Marble.  
"Oh."

Looking around, Belinda saw her double looking at the scanner she had dropped and went over to take it from Blossom. The girl was substantially more subdues then when the seven children had first met her. At first Blossom didn't hand the device over, staring at it but in the end she conceded, with a muttered comment of; "It's still amazing that you can make something like that. What does it track"  
"This world is collapsing. It's held here with something that basically punches a hole in reality and as the world collapses, things are going to start appearing. Things that have no place in a normal world"  
"Antimatter"  
"ant what?" Blossom ignored Bubbles remark.  
"That's some of it. Best case, monsters from other dimensions. Worse case; active Antimatter monsters that can kill us with a single touch. Basically, this world is going to hell. 


	20. Chapter 6 Page 3

Soliliqoi page 3

Blossom shivered and instictively hugged Bubbles. Buttercup laughed.  
"Yeah right. A single touch. I'm not going to trust that unless I see it first"  
"Buttercup, Don't. Don't do anything stupid"  
"Ha! Dont worry about me Bubbles. Me and Brick here are the only capable fighters left"  
"Me?" "Hey what?"

Bubbles and Boomer looked to their injured leaders.  
"Dont you mean me?" Butch interjected, flexing the muscles and showing off his now topless chest.  
Buttercup turned a light shade of red then rolled her eyes at the dark haired boy. Failing to attract attention from Buttercup he focused the apeal in Bubbles direction and earned a giggle from her.  
He beamed as though he'd just won some kind of international award.

"The point is, Red here is in no condition to actively fight yet so somebody else needs to be in charge of this group"  
Buttercup snuck a peek at Brick as she turned to address Belinda. He was just as red as she was.  
"Bel "  
"You are not in any position to lead either Buttercup. You cant think your way through problems. Brick or Butch either"  
Steam almost literally started coming off Buttercups head.

"Anyhow." Buttercup growled. "Belinda. If there is a way to get out of this black hole thingy where would it be"  
"That's obvious!" Blossom interjected, "If a black hole bends inwards then we need to head to the edge of the feild and punch a hole in it"  
Belinda nodded.  
"And the logical place for that would be the very top of the dome"  
Belinda shook her head.  
"Then where!"

"Where the most of those monsters red two was talking about are I bet"  
This time Belinda nodded directly to Boomer who was trying again to speed up his siblings healing.  
"oh." Blossom and Buttercup fell silent. Bubbles giggled slightly as Butch was still trying to impress her by showing off his body. This dispite the fact that all three boys were topless and that Butch was actually slightly flabby in comparison to his brothers.  
Boomer hummed a nameless tune quietly to himself as he worked and Blossom moved closer to him, much to Brick's annoyance.  
That said he was still red with embarrasment from Buttercups stuff up.

Belinda looked over the group then examined her scanner. She looked over the members again then sighed.  
"Well, we seam to be safe for now. We should probably rest"  
"We'll have to take turns being guard." Blossom interrupted, "Boomer first"  
"What? I'm busy"  
"I know but you're the only one with the brains to do anything at t "  
"Hey. He's not the brains. He just knows stuff is all. I'm the thinker"  
"Yeah right!" Somehow both Blossom and Brick got to their feet and squared off against each other.  
Then a second later both of them groaned and collapsed back to back.  
"Later, okay"  
"Yeah, okay!"

Bubbles giggled some more and everybody decided it really was time to get a nap. In the end it was Butch who took the first watch. Three hours in however he changed places with Blossom. Still nursing her wounds she levitated her way to a higher vantage point and watched over the area in silence, strained her ears for any sound.  
Looking up at the now starless sky she waited patiently, shivering. In time Belinda manifested beside her but at first nothing was said between her and her interdimensional twin. They had the same hair, the same clothes, identical in almost every way - yet; Different life and a different family.  
Accross town a building slowly began to disolve, somehow making so sound what so ever. The pair watched it nervously.

"so... That's this antimatter thing is it"  
"Yeah. I found out about it earlier but the proces is accellerating. I thought we'd have more time than this but there must be some kind of catalyst making -" "What's it like"  
Belinda blinked. "What's what like... Being disolved by "  
"No." Blossom spun around in her seat and grabbed her duplicates hands in hers. "I mean." She blushed.  
"I mean not having to save the world and stuff. Being normal. We started saving the world only days after we were made so..." Both girls stared at where their hands were touching and pulled away.  
"Oh that." Belinda mumbled, "Not all that fancy actually. I kinda envy your life a little. Even now most of our adventures we're nothing more than petty theifs"  
Belinda looked back to the building accross town. It was no longer collapsing - the Antimatter having been used up.  
Blossom shook her head half heartedly. "Petty theifs aren't normally science geniuses." She affirmed, "I mean - that scanner. You made it out of trash. I doubt even the professor could do that"  
"Aw, cmon. Your smart too, I've seen it"  
"Yeah well..."

"You two make a cute couple!"

Blossom was in the air in a second, pinpointing the source of the comment and pouncing on it. Brick grunted with the impact as the pair of them went rolling accross the floor. Buttercup started giggling, having moved in time to avoid the impact.  
"Hey, ow. Stop, I'm injured remember!" Brick tried to interject but it was Buttercup who pulled her sister off. Belinda watched this in shock then disolved into a fit of giggles as the trio began with the snyde remarks.  
"Well, you do!" Buttercup responded as the three of them re-entered the building.  
"Hey, extra Red - can you keep the next watch"  
"Sure thing Buttercup!" Belinda laughed before phasing through the wall to stand vigil.

The night passed and in time and morning arrived. Or at least something resembling morning.  
Bubbles stared at the sky and mumbled to herself.  
"Yeah, I hadn't realised either. No clouds"  
Belinda nodded before raising her hand, then hesitated and looked at Blossom.  
"Where do you say the out is"  
Belinda smiled, Blossom's instruction having rolled out with confidence even though she'd effectively given Belinda authority over the group.  
"There isn't a specific way out, however I think if I look at the sites destroyed by antimatter I might be able to Make a way out"  
"So we'll head to that building from last night?" Brick instructed. Blossom gave him a dirty look but remained silent.  
Buttercup groaned.

"Lets move out people!" 


	21. Chapter 6 Page 4

Soliliqoi page 4

"Lemme go Lemme go, I can't fly this fast, just let me phase please, please, please"  
Butch's Guffaws followed the group in rolls as Blossom pulled Belinda along. With all the insects apparently vanished there was no real need to move with the caution they had hours before.  
Bubbles travelled in silence; Butch watching her cautiously as they approached the mostly demolished building. Belinda, no longer being dragged through the air, rifled through her sack and began trying to analyse the destroyed section.  
It was as though the top half of the building had been completely removed without any debris. Everything that had been loose on the ground or nearby had also apparently vanished.

Belinda and Blossom worked side by side as Belinda showed her PowerPuff twin how the devices worked. Buttercup floated along behind them with her arms crossed and tapped her foot in the air as she watched them work.  
Butch moved off to one side and began beating up a building out of boredom and Brick watched the girls work. Minutes passed.

"Bubbles??" Butch asked nobody in particular, looking around. Floating away from his hole in the wall he pokes his head around the "Hey Bubbles"  
"What's up"  
"Bubbles is missing?" Butch floated over.  
"What??" four voices replied at the same time.  
"I can't find Bubbles!" Butch repeated. "I was pounding on a wall over here while you girls worked and she suddenly van "  
Belinda started waving her scanner around near the buildings and everybody fell silent.  
"No. Not even traces of antimatter except for over near the other building, so I doubt it was that"  
"She must have wondered off then." Blossom shook her head.  
"That girl is going to be the death of us"  
"You're the one to talk Brick," Buttercup chided, "Or you Blossom. Who was it that beat each other up and had to be carried to safety all over lunch?"

Both youths scratched their locks of red hair and tried to look innocent.  
"Anyhow!" Brick continued, "I bet your saying somebody should look for them"  
"No kidding!" Blossom replied.  
"But what about"  
"Belinda, Family comes first. Hey, has anybody seen Boomer or Mitch"  
Belinda groaned as everybody looked around in confusion and as the three pealed off to look she covered her face in frustration.  
"We can't have distractions at this point in time." She mumbled to herself.

"Blossom, Blossom"  
"What?" Buttercup flew back.  
"I just realised, Boomer was still here when Butch pointed out bubbly was missing, right"  
"Yeah, I think so"  
"That's it then!" Belinda interrupted. "They must have gone looking rather than listen to..." She restarted her sentence, "If they're looking for Bubbles then surely that means we can"  
Blossom started shaking her head and Belinda sighed again.  
"Look. I totally get that you want to find your sister." Belinda mumbled. "Don't think I don't understand that but I'm not just thinking about my sisters either. If we don't find something effective against antimatter then we could locate them just to be destroyed moments later!"

"Point!" Butch replied.  
"You should stay with Belinda, Blossom. Out of all the dum girls only you and her got the kind of brains needed here"  
"What??" Blossoms indignation was tangible for almost 10 seconds. Then she realised exactly what Brick had just said.  
"That's right." Brick assured - crossing his arms with a wince. "That was a compliment. Now don't be an idiot. Leave the searching and fighting to us boys while you girls do all this braniac stuff. You know its better that way!"

Three sets of eyes blinked and Buttercup sighed, hitting the red head across the back of the head.  
"Ow. Quit it already." This time Blossom made to slap Brick only to have Buttercup grab her arm and stop her. Brick and Butch looked at the girls in confusion.  
"He is right though. You and Belinda need to figure this out. We'll search"  
"Fine, Fine!" Shaking her head Blossom grabbed Belinda's hand and dragged her back into the air.  
"But if anything happens to my sister none of you boys will get out of here alive"  
"Hey, My brothers gone too"  
"Shuttup Butch. We all know your thinking of blond-girl"  
Butch blushed. "I can worry about both cant I?"

"JUST GET GOING"  
"All right, all roight"  
"C'mon Brick"  
"Hey Butch, you take up"  
"Yeah, yeah"  
The boys split up as they left. Buttercup followed brick on instinct as they headed south and butch flew high heading north. Under Bricks direction they circled around the nearby buildings, searching high and low. Failing to find them nearby they moved out further.  
Far away from the others and across town in the middle of mansion - Bubbles, Boomer and Mitch stood in a room with no doors or windows. Mitch sat on his haunches with a completely blank expression on his face and the two blonds stared at the walls.

"How in the?" 


	22. Chapter 7 Page 1

Chapter 7  
Chaos Vent

PAGE 1

Boomer looked from Bubbles to Mitch and then to the walls surrounding them on all sides.  
"What just happened"  
He asked aproaching the only other people present. "Where is this"  
"we have no idea." Mitch replied. "I was chasing bubbles and trying to throw rubish at her when all the sudden everything went black and we ended up here.  
"Yeah, thats kinda what I'd saw before I apeared here too. I'd hoped since you guy's disapeared a little while ago that there'd be a bit more to this story"  
Bubbles shook her head and just stayed sitting on the ground. "Sorry, but there's nothing here and nothing happened. It was as though we were just swallowed by blackness all the sudden and left here to die.  
"Bubbles, that's the fifth time you've said that. Quit it." Mitch responded

"It's an empty box. and in esc-esc"  
"Escapable. And no it's not, we're here aren't we"  
"How does that?" Boomer turned to face Bubbles in exasperation. "Look, if it's possible to get in then that means it's possible to get out. There has to be a trick to it is all"  
Mitch laughed at the blond boy - "Look ho's taken to being leader"  
"Well if neither of you are going to then who else is there"  
"Point"  
"Look you!" Boomer pointed, his hackles rising in anger... "Hangon what"  
"I said you had a point. Now what did you have in mind, Bubbles tried using all her superpowers to bust out and it didn't work"  
"Not all of them." Both boys looked at bubbles.

"Well it's true, most of out attacks and abil-ities need more than one of us"  
"Well that gives us something then. What can you think of that needs two people"  
"um. well"  
"well"  
"we could try the starburst? Come over here and put your hands near mine." Boomer complied.  
"Do you remember you boys immitated our starburst effect when you first came back to the dead?  
"Yeah, sorta. I mainly just remember us growing huge cause of your kisses and whooping you"  
bubbles rolled her eyes, "Until we cut you down to size you mean, poo head. Just focus on the now"  
"Okay, okay." He focused and concentrated the ion energy that normally helped the children fly down his arm. A ball of the energy built up in his hand - combining with the ion flight trail coming out of Bubbles hand and a blast of yellow and amber light flew forth - bouncing off the wall, rikocheting off the room and two other walls before hitting Mitch in the rump.

"Hey, Careful with that aim you guys!" He yelled, leaping at Bubbles and tackling her to the ground. "The fricking hur -" He suddenly found himself being held in the air by Boomer.  
"It hurt!" He argued, "And it was her idea"  
"Fighting amongst ourselves wont help. We'll just have to try something else"  
"Sorry." Mitch grumbled.

"It just bounced off?" Bubbles murmured. "Lika a mirror, only it doesn't look like a mirror"  
"You're right," Boomer dropped the other boy and stood beside the wall. It Looked solid but it was mat - grey and solid. Like concrete. "Lemme try something?" He insisted, gently pressing his hand against the wall. It was definitely solid, or at the very least was pretending to be. Bubbles looked at his hand side on and gasped.  
"You're hand is going into the wall Boomie"  
Boomer yanks it out quickly as though he'd been bitten. He looks at his hand but nothing apears out of place.  
"What do you mean went into?"

"I mean just that tiny amount. Like, instead of pressing against the wall it was pressing into it just that tiny bit"  
Both children looked at the wall. There's certainly hadn't been any sign that the wall was soft in some way. It felt completely solid. Boomer pressed his hand against the wall again ever so gently and this time felt his hand sink in just the tiniest amount.  
"You're right, I can feel it give just bit. As though it's only kinda there"  
"What on earth does 'kinda there' mean?" Mitch interrupted.  
"I dunno"  
"Neither do I"  
"Great"  
"Star Burst!" Bubbles and Boomer turned to Mitch in confusion.  
"We just tried that Mitch"  
"Yeah, it just bounced off remember"  
"I know!" Mitch replied, "But that was from back here, how about from where you are now"  
Three sets of eyes exchanged glances and three sets of shoulders shruged in turns.  
"Sure!" Boomer replied at last.

Standing side by side the pair press their hands into the wall as far as it will let them. As the power begins to build it's as though the wall bulges for a moment, the starburst attack seamingly stuck inside.  
Riiip!  
The force of the impact as the wall seams to explode throws everyone to the far side of the room and a giant wind starts whipping into the room. Mitch and Bubbles crawl forward accross the floor and look out through the giant hole gaping in the wall.  
Around them was a black rolling blob of what looked like pure darkness. And through the hole the ground beneath them, sliding past at high speed as they flew overtop.

"We're flying." Mitch observed.  
"Or more accurately being carried"  
"Where to though"  
Bubbles pointed through the hole at a large building ahead, mere metres from the giant barrier surrounding the town.  
"That's princess's house." Bubbles observed.  
"You dont mean that red-head snobby girly who wanted to join us boys that time"  
"Yes boomer, that girl. She lives in - HEY!" Bubbles yelles as the hole in the wall began to close. "Hey, Stop let us..." It shut tight and continued to carry the trio to their destination.  
Bubbles and Boomer tried to bust another hole in the wall but failed.


	23. Chapter 7 Page 2

Chaos Vent PAGE 2

The sky was clear and cloudless as the block crossed the sky. In itself the device carrying Boomer, Bubbles and Mitch looked like a cube. About 2 metres square its features and shape could have almost been described as pristine, except for the fact that it was black and more importantly, when you looked at it you're brain tried to tell you it wasn't there. It crossed the sky in absolute silence, the air around it rippling as it travelled as though pressing against something fuzzy and soft.  
It was observed, not only by millions of eyes still in the city but also by two very fixed eyes of a man of stone atop Princess's family mansion.

It's eyes glowed slightly as a second smaller figure observed it. It flittered around the statue looking it over and trying to stare at the travelling block but failing to focus on it.  
The figure shakes it's head and the echo of a voice carries itself on the wind as the robed figure descends into the building below.  
It chuckles as it descends the stairs into a hall full of glittering glass tubes and electrical equipment. In complete silence it proceeded to push a pile of junk into one corner of the room, then went down to the triple car garage and opened the door.

Back closer to the centre of town Butch, Brick and Buttercup were making a serious effort to search the city. Unfortunately for them nobody in the group had any experience at making a productive search so all three were quite literally flying around at random checking over many the same spots that everybody else had checked.  
On the upside They're voices could reach halfway across the city put together.

"Bubbles"  
"Boomer"  
"Bubbles"  
"Human boy"  
Buttercup turned back in the direction of Butch. "He has a name you know"  
"What"  
"What?" Brick also chimes in and three heads shake and sigh in unison.

"Hey, Come over here"  
"Hey, Come over here"  
"Hey, Come over here"  
Question marks apear in the air between them and everybody dicides to meet in between.  
"What were you saying earlier Buttface"  
Buttercup glowers at Brick and crosses her arms. After a moment to realise what he'd said the boy's mouth dropped open.  
"Er, Sorry." he said at last, "Habit. I'm still not used to thinking of you girl's as anything more than a nuisance"  
Buttercup rolls her eyes.

"What-ever!" She hurumphs and looks around. "We dont seam to be getting anywhere like this. If Bubbles or Boomer were nearby they would have heard us by now. And Bubbles has a stronger set of lungs then any of us"  
"Agreed" Brick sneered, "I'm been on the receiving end of her voice often enough. It can pierce through stone"  
"Then we agree that they cant be nearby. If I had to guess, Bubbles has said Boomer was cute more than once. She'd follow him with us being all friendly not the other way around. So "  
"Yeah Right!" Butch's remark cut across the conversation like a knife. Buttercup mouthed at the boy and brick snickered.

"You're not??" Buttercup asked before snickering,  
Butch's face went through a number of expressions before he stuttered his reply.  
"No we're not"  
"We're not?" Brick teased, causing the boy to go red. The sudden burst of laughter was so loud that it carried all the way back to Blossom and Belinda where the worked analysing the tower.  
"Look, I'm worried about her is all. She's the weakest of you idiot girl's"  
"Maybe so," was Buttercup's rebuttal, "But we're trying to figure out where they'd go. Now we both know you're brother▓s bright "  
"Within reason"  
"- Within reason." Buttercup conceded, "Is it possible he would wonder off to look at something? Do you remember him mentioning anything?"

Both boys scratched their heads and shrugged.  
"Oh great"  
"There is one possibility!" Brick suddenly piqued up.  
"yeah"  
"Yeah. Boomer is really really into these bugs. Now that they've all gone missing he could have gone looking for them. And even though you're blondy sister isn't keen on them she cares about creature▓s right? I mean she was worried about that ant thing before right? So maybe if we look for insects we'll find out what happened to the others?"

Buttercup nodded as she thought over the idea then sighed. "I guess it's worth a try"  
"But that just means we're searching for something else." Butch interrupted, "I'd hoped for a destination. Or at least something simple"  
"You and I both Butch." Buttercup floated into the air and surveyed the city, the two boys following close behind. "How can we "  
"Shutup!" Buttercup blinked at Brick's comment and went to slap him only to have the boy dodge.  
"No, I mean shutup and listen. Bugs make sounds right"  
"Well ye-ah, oh!" Buttercup went silent. "Point red"  
"Red?" "Red leader?" Boomer interjected.  
Both Brick and Buttercup responded in unison with a curt "Quiet you."

All three children focused their hearing on their surroundings and it was Butch who pointed first, his hand rising almost as if it floated in water. He opened his eyes and blinked. "I think the bugs are that way"  
"You think"  
"I thought I heard something?" His face screwed up in confusion, "Only not with my ears. I don▓t know how to explain it, sorry"  
"Good enough for me!" Buttercup took flight and two shrugging boy's trailed after her in the direction of what had once been China Town.

And this exactly coincided with Blossom falling off the tower they were examining.  
Belinda looked over the edge of the building at Blossom. and blinked at the girl.  
Blossom herself was blinking as though trying o figure out just what had happened. She concentrated.  
"You alright down there Blossy?" Belinda called down.  
"I think so... I dont know what happened. I just kinda, I dunno. Fell"  
"I do that all the time!" Blossom kept concentrating then a moment later rolled over and stood up scratching her head. Belinda landed on the ground to find her duplicate jumping up and down. She hooked her scanner to her dress and watched as the girl jumped up and down on the spot.

"You alright"  
"I cant fly..."

Silence filled the air between the two girls until eventually Belinda spoke.

"What do you mean you can't fly"  
"I cant fly!" Blossom insisted, jumping up and down on the spot. "I cant!" She looks at the nearby wall then quickly walks over to it delivering a single punch. The wall collapses.  
"And what exactly was that innate of"  
"Seeing if I still had any powers"  
"But why"  
Blossom gently blasted the wall with her heat vision, slowly increasing the temperature until the bricks started to melt. Belinda watched the display with a frown on her face and tapping her foot as Blossom went and systematically tested as many of her powers as possible on the offending wall.  
Everything worked, never-the-less Blossom finished by jumping on the spot.

"So, did THAT achieve anything"  
"No.. and that's the problem. Two of our powers are that we heal so fast it almsot makes us invulnerable... And that we can fly. They're basic parts of who we are and we tend to use them without thinking"  
"And you cant use them now"  
"So it seams. Somehow our powers are still draining away from us. Getting weaker somehow." She looked at her hand.  
"I did this earlier!" Blossom said, showing Belinda the cut on her hand. It had become slightly red and inflamed and Belinda made an 'aah' sound when she saw it.

"Looks like it's infected." Belinda informed her.  
"And I know that's bad, but that's the first thing anything like that has happened. We've only ever been sick once in our life and that was an extreme circumstance. The disease stuck down other's immediately but took easily a couple of hours to infect us"  
"Instant healing I get it. Only extreme amounts of damage get through"  
"Exactly"  
"And now you cant fly"  
"Exactly."

Belinda examined the cut. "Well, the good news is this isn't too bad. The infection is only week, it's not going to strike you down or anything"  
Blossom looked up and suddenly realised just how close she and Belinda where physically.  
"Um er"  
"Oh hush." "Okay..." Blossom made a face as Belinda released her hand, unsure just how to react.  
"Do you have all the information you need about what destroyed the building"  
Blossom wrapped a peice of cloth around her hand and gently took the scanner from Belinda's hip. The looked at it together.

"As far as I can tell the sections of the building that vanished are still there. Only in potentium"  
Blossom smiled, "You sound like my father, what's that supposed to mean"  
"It means the sections have well... In truth I'm not sure but I think they've been turned into antimatter"  
"Antimatter? The stuff that caused this"  
"Yes. The object exists but only in a kindof mirror world. Like, we're on one layer and it's on another, completey cut off from us."

"I see"  
"Do you"  
"Actually yes!" Blossom pushed Belinda away with a smile, keeping her hands on the human girl for just a moment too long.  
"I may not be as smart as the professor but I understand that much. Do you're instruments tell me why I'm loosing my superpowers"  
"Are the others loosing them"  
"Not sure. I would assume so but they haven't mentioned it"  
"Let me think on it. Until then -" She hooked the scanner back onto her dress. "Maybe we should track down the others"  
"Good idea." 


End file.
